


The Dove and the Magician

by satinair



Category: Produce 101 (TV), Wanna One (Band)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements, Deephwi, Demigod AU, Gen, Greek Mythology AU, M/M, jinhwi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-11
Updated: 2018-01-27
Packaged: 2019-01-16 00:12:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 51,058
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12331641
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/satinair/pseuds/satinair
Summary: If love is lost, the empire will fall...When two goddesses are taken from Olympus, it is up to a group of young demigods to save them.





	1. Prologue

**_THE PROPHECY OF THE ELEVEN:_ **  

 _If love is lost, the empire will fall, even if the son wishes to atone;_   

 _From the Seer's previous words, the king knows his last battle is written in stone;_   

 _The progeny of powerful forces shall meet and their destinies shall intertwine;_   

 _Their love will be immortalized and withstand those both Mortal and Divine;_   

 _With the strength of Eleven, Discordia's plan will become unfurled;_   

 _But we are slaves to Fate, and the magician will walk amongst the stones of the Underworld;_   

 _When it matters most, a closed mouth will prove to be ever more fatal than a lie;_   

 _Here lies the importance of choice, for the goddess will live, but the son will surely die._   

* * *

Unlike the rest of her family. Aphrodite did not wish to venture to the mortal world under the cloak of darkness. Even Apollo, the God of Light himself, would rather seek out his children when his winged horses touched down upon the earth and Artemis’ moon hung high in the sky, covering the land in its spectacular glow. Aphrodite supposed she had always been a rebel; she wasn’t one for rules or obligations. She did what she wanted when she wanted and she believed her status as a goddess—as an  _Olympian_ —afforded her the right. 

 _Olympus was stirring_. It was as if the mountain itself was silently warning of danger to come. It left the rest of the gods uneasy, but none more than Aphrodite herself. She felt like something had been whispering in her ear for weeks now, foretelling a future for her that looked dim at best. The worst part was she didn’t know what to do about it. Usually, she was not the one to feel the ire of an unhappy enemy; that was more of Zeus’ and Ares’ degrees of specialty. They seemed to be the Gods of Pissing People Off with how often they caused trouble. Aphrodite knew she was no angel, but the only person she could think that would want to harm her in any way was her husband Hephaestus, and even he only wished to humiliate her for her numerous affairs. 

But this time, things felt different. Aphrodite sensed a great evil in the air, familiar but forgotten over the millennia, and she knew something was going to happen specifically to her. She needed help. Ares had left Olympus months ago. It was most likely due to the civil war that he had been excitedly talking her ear off about for weeks. Aphrodite didn’t like wars; she thought they were unnecessary and depressing. She had lost many children and lovers due to ridiculous wars, but she did love the way Ares spoke about them. The way he would talk about the carnage and bloodshed was poetic; he almost made her believe that war was lovely the way flowers were lovely. Ares’ eyes—red and blue and orange like an angry flame—would brighten with such a beautiful and fearful intensity in the face of havoc and extermination, and it was with a beautiful and fearful intensity that Aphrodite loved him, easily and happily. But now she was afraid and alone without her paramour to help her in her time of need. She needed a hero. 

Aphrodite rose from her bed, casting suspicious glances in every direction as she walked out of her home in Olympus. The other gods were too busy to even notice her, or perhaps they simply didn’t care what she was up to. However, she thought it was wise to not alert the others of her journey. Her free-flowing white gown billowed around her as the wind picked up. There was the usual sensation of weightlessness as she took a deep breath and allowed the air to move her. The feeling passed almost as fast as it had started and she found herself standing in the center of a parking garage in the mortal world. She wasn’t surprised; people often found love in the strangest of places, even in dark, dingy parking garages (though she hoped her hero wasn’t looking for prospects in such an area). The goddess looked in every direction at once. She could sense that there were a few other people in the garage, most likely “evoking her essence” somewhere away from prying eyes, but her hero was not among them. She was grateful for that fact. The garage reeked of damp concrete and car exhaust. Aphrodite frowned; this wasn’t the sort of place for a woman like her. 

She gathered the bottom of her dress and took a moment to take in her surroundings once more. An unknown liquid that she hoped to the gods was water dripped from the ceiling onto her head. Aphrodite scowled and flung her hand in the air behind her. Instantly, the parking garage disappeared, leaving her standing in an empty field with colorful wildflowers as far as the eye could see, each with its own aroma that charmed the senses. She smiled; flowers were much more beautiful than garages. And besides, it was more romantic to find love in a field. 

Aphrodite could spot a small building just in the horizon beneath where the mid-afternoon sun hid partially behind fluffy white clouds. It took her less than a second to be transported right in front of it. She quietly entered through the glass doors and upon entrance was hit by the scent of youthful bodies. The musk of young boys and girls reaching physical maturity was not a welcomed aroma and Aphrodite scowled, covered her nose with her sleeve, and looked for the first human she could find in the vicinity. 

A middle-aged man stood leaning behind the front desk and acknowledged her with a simple look up from the magazine that lay in front of him. Aphrodite waited a moment and the man looked up again with wide eyes. He stood up straight and ran a hand through his shaggy dark hair. 

“Er, welcome to Brand New Music School, ma’am. Can I help you?” the man said, flashing his discolored teeth in what she assumed was supposed to be a smile.  _A school?_ Aphrodite thought back to the beings that she had sensed in the parking garage. She briefly wondered what happened to them, and if they were young students or members of the faculty, but allowed those thoughts to flutter away like petals in the wind; she had greater things to worry about. The goddess walked closer, giving him her own most dazzling smile, and leaned against the desk. 

“A music school? I do love music,” she purred, twisting a lock of her fair hair around her finger. She rested her arms on the desk to make her chest more prominent. 

“You do?” the man asked, forcing his eyes up from her chest to her face, but his gaze dropped back down almost immediately. Aphrodite was sure this was the establishment her hero was in, so she had no time to tease a random mortal man—as fun as it was. She huffed out a breath and stood straight, then walked away from the man, leaving him in a confused daze. Confusion was good. Confusion meant he wouldn’t quite believe it happened and wouldn’t run his mouth about the strange woman entering the school building. Aphrodite eyed the security cameras overhead as she walked down the locker-lined halls. It wasn’t difficult to confuse them either. 

Aphrodite stopped at the classroom at the end of the hallway. A soft piano melody trickled out the small gap at the bottom of the opaque door. The goddess chose to phase through the door instead of opening it as to not interrupt the pianist’s process. Her boy was in the room alone, hunched over an electric keyboard with a notebook open in his lap. His delicate fingers expertly moved over the keys as he played. His mind was on the music, and Aphrodite leaned against the door, closed her eyes, and allowed the music to consume her too. The tune was light, but comforting, and she smiled as his sweet voice joined in. He sang in a low, hesitant voice, checking if he matched the melody well like a couple in the beginning stages of their relationship. Her son approached his compositions like a lover—nervously and excitedly at first and then overtime developing such confident ease. Aphrodite wished for nothing more than for him to find a person with whom he could have that sort of relationship. She opened her eyes and admired his passion and progression. This was the reason he was her Golden Boy. 

“One would think you were the son of Apollo with talent like that,” Aphrodite said behind him. The music stopped abruptly, but otherwise there was no reaction to her sudden presence in the room. She wondered if he could sense her whenever she was nearby the way she could sense him and all her other children.  

Daehwi kept his head down and scribbled something in his notebook. “It would make more sense than me being the son of the Goddess of Beauty.” 

Aphrodite furrowed her eyebrows. “And why is that?” she asked. Daehwi shrugged, but his unspoken words hung in the air between them. Her son didn’t hide his insecurity in his looks well. The goddess didn’t know if it were her fault for not reassuring him during his most crucial adolescent years or the fault of narrow-minded fools who only wanted to hurt him, but she couldn’t understand how Daehwi didn’t see the same bright, beautiful boy that she did. He never outright said he was ugly—at least not in the regrettably few times that she had chosen to check up on him—but he always made disparaging comments about himself, usually in a joking manner. It was not a joke to her and it hurt to think about. 

Aphrodite came to the front of the piano, but he did not look up from his notebook. “Why are you here?” he asked without a hint of affection for her in his voice. 

“I wanted to see my son,” she said. Daehwi finally looked up at her. His face shined with sweat and his damp bangs clung to his forehead. His pink lips were downturned in a pout, but, as Aphrodite knew well, even at his angriest, his eyes still radiated warmth. The goddess reached out to brush his hair back and she marveled at the sight of him. Her golden boy. Her sweet, beautiful child. She couldn’t help but smile. “Ah, my boy who gets more handsome with each passing day.” 

Daehwi didn’t smile back. “Is that why you came? To call me handsome before you disappeared for months again?” 

Aphrodite felt a pang of guilt and dropped her hand from his face. She sighed. “No, I,” she glanced around the room, “I must speak to you about something.” 

* * *

Lee Daehwi was almost fourteen years old when he found out the truth about his mother and what that made  _him_. His father never said much about her—no matter how hard he pressed. Before that fateful day two weeks before his fourteenth birthday, the only things he knew about his mother were that she wasn’t ready to be a full-time mother when he was born and that she loved him very much. He grew up believing the former, but not the latter. 

That all changed when she showed up at his home claiming to be his mother. It had taken four hours and a complete misuse of her godly power that Daehwi himself referred to as “The Dove Incident” for him to accept that his mother was Aphrodite, the Greek Goddess of Love, Lust, and Beauty, and he was a demigod. He was sure that he had not developed the relationship with her that she had wished, but he didn’t know what she expected from a child she had abandoned for most of his life. She had a habit of referring to him as her “Golden Boy” and her “hero”, but she  _had_  abandoned him and his father. She knew nothing about him and he knew nothing about her, which was why Daehwi wasn’t exactly ecstatic whenever she showed up, as rare as her visits tended to be.  

This was another one of her rare visits, but it was the first time she had ever visited his school. The unusual circumstance did make her statement pique his curiosity. “Speak to me about what?” he asked. Aphrodite took a quick look around the room before waving her hand in the air. Daehwi remembered that motion from the incident two years ago when she told him she was a goddess and he had flashbacks to the short time he spent as a bird. 

Thankfully, instead of himself being transformed, the music room started to change. Air swirled gently around them as the room was transformed into a grandiose parlor room with a high ceiling—much higher than seemed possible for the school—and Victorian-style furniture. The electric piano Daehwi had sat in front of disappeared and the bench he sat on had become an ottoman. Aphrodite kicked off her shoes, settled into one of the chaise lounges, and laid on her side with her legs up on the cream-colored cushions. The room was spectacularly decorated with the most fanciful of adornments, but her effortless beauty surpassed it all. But of course Daehwi would never tell her that; he didn’t want to inflate the already giant ego his mother possessed. 

The goddess tilted her head to allow her thick curls to cascade over the back of the lounge and said, “You know, I made love to an American once in a room just like this.” She grinned as she recalled the memory. “I don’t know which was more beautiful: the room or the man.” 

Daehwi blushed and dropped his gaze to the now hardwood floor. “I-I don’t think this is an appropriate conversation to be having with your teenage son.” 

“Didn’t you live in America as a child?” 

“That doesn’t mean I want to hear about my mom having  _relations_ on a sofa.” Daehwi paused, and then, with a suspicious glance, asked: “Is this some weird attempt at bonding?” 

Aphrodite avoided his eyes as she mumbled a barely inaudible, “Maybe.” For the first time in Daehwi’s life, his mother actually looked embarrassed. He would’ve laughed if she weren’t a millennia old deity with a history of letting her temper get the better of her. The goddess sat up, letting her dainty feet touch the ground, and gathered her dress around her. She took a breath before asking: “Remember that demigod academy I told you about years ago?” 

Daehwi felt he should’ve figured that was why she had come. She had mentioned the school at every meeting they had in the past. She often spoke about wanting him to fulfill his destiny as a demigod and other nonsense like that. Daehwi crossed his arms defiantly.  

“I like my school. I’d rather make music than fight monsters.” 

“As a demigod, you need to be prepared for whatever you may face in the future.” 

“So, I have no choice in the matter?” 

Aphrodite pursed her lips and beckoned her son to sit next to her. He did so reluctantly, and the goddess wrapped her arm around his shoulder. “Of course you have a choice,” she said. “We all have choices.” 

“But you keep pressuring me to go to the academy.” 

Aphrodite inched closer to her son. “There is something very important I should talk to you about.” She leaned toward him and her eyes nervously swept the room. Daehwi was starting to feel uneasy with how often she had done that since she had shown up. Her voice dropped to a whisper as she said, “Someone is going to kidnap me.” 

Daehwi’s mouth fell open. “How do you know?” 

“I just know. I can’t explain it.” She worried her lip. “What is it that you mortals call it? A gut feeling?” 

“You had a gut feeling that someone was going to kidnap you? Are you sure you’re not just being paranoid?” 

“Olympus is  _stirring_. I’ve been around long enough to know when I’m being paranoid and when something is coming.” 

“Okay, let’s say you’re going to be kidnapped; does your gut know who’s going to do it? Or when?” 

“No. Unfortunately.” 

“So, why did you come to me?” 

Aphrodite smiled, which made her beautiful face more dazzling. “You’re going to save me.” 

Daehwi cocked an eyebrow at her. “I’m sorry, what?” 

“You’re going to save me because you’re my Golden Boy, of course.” 

“You keep calling me your Golden Boy, but you’re never here when I need you,” he huffed, turning away from her. 

Aphrodite was taken aback by that; her eyebrows came together in confusion. “When do you need me?” 

Daehwi felt stupid. Of course, she didn’t understand. That was one of the many things he never meant to say out loud to his mother. She was a goddess with thousands of children roaming the earth and heavens. Of course she wouldn’t have time for him and only came around when  _she_  needed  _him_. “Never mind. I think you have the wrong guy,” he said, shaking his head. “I don’t exactly know how to save goddesses.” 

“No, no, I have it all figured out. You’re not going to be alone.” 

“I hate this plan already,” he muttered. 

“ _Let me talk_ ,” she commanded. Daehwi’s mouth snapped shut on its own like there was an unseen force holding onto his jaw. It was a power he knew well. “There is this boy about your age. He’s a demigod too, and he’s very powerful, but he doesn’t know it yet.” She sighed. “There seems to be a common theme between you two. Look, I’m not here to give you some long-winded lecture about what duties you have as a demigod and how beneficial the academy would be for you, even though I _firmly_  believe you should start your hero training. You’re not a little boy anymore.” He wanted to tell her that he wasn’t exactly an adult either, but the grip on his jaw seemed to tighten whenever he tried to open his mouth. She waited for his response and frowned when she got none. Daehwi pointed at his mouth; his mother sheepishly gave him apologetic look and said, “ _You may talk_.” 

“Are you trying to set me up on some weird demigod blind date under the guise of saving you?” he asked, rubbing his jaw where it had started to ache. 

Aphrodite let out a frustrated groan. “Must I put another silencing charm on you?” 

“It all just sounds ridiculous and I, for one, am not—” 

“Daehwi, I’m serious! I’m scared, okay?” She grabbed his arm and held onto his tightly. “I’m terrified. I think I know who is going to try to take me and why, but—“ She hesitated and cast nervous glances in every direction. “I don’t know how much I can say. She has spies everywhere.” 

“ _She?_ ” 

Aphrodite hurried to her feet, gathering the ends of her dress in her hands. “I dare not speak her name,” she whispered. “Names are too powerful.” 

“What am I supposed to do? How am I supposed to save you? I’m not some hero,” Daehwi said as he stood. His mother put a hand on his shoulder. 

“My sweet boy,” she said, running a hand through his brown hair. “My sweet, handsome boy. You are a hero. You’re  _my_ hero. Find the Son of the Sorceress. I've watched him; there’s something very special about him.” Aphrodite smiled fondly. “He's powerful. He could save the world, but he's scared. Just like you.” 

“And I'm supposed to stop him from being afraid? How?” 

Her smile widened. “Love is a very powerful tool. Don't let people fool you into thinking it's a weakness.” The air around them swirled more wildly than before, picking up speed and making the contents of the room thrash about. “I must be on my way. I cannot stay in this world for too long without casting suspicion,” she said, taking a step back from her son. 

“Wait!” Daehwi reached out for her. “How will I know when you’re captured or where to find the—what did you call him—sorceress’ son? What am I supposed to do when I find him?” 

“You’ll know when it’s time. I believe in you, darling. I love you, Daehwi,” Aphrodite said, her voice and image fading before him. She gave her son one last smile before she disappeared completely. The parlor filled with a bright, blinding light, causing Daehwi to shield his eyes, and then he was alone. 

* * *

_No, no, it's too early. Not now._  

The contents of Hecate's cauldron bubbled violently, calling for her attention, but she ignored them in favor of the scene she watched play out in front of her. The conversation troubled her. Aphrodite spending that much time in the mortal world was stressful enough—though that sort of action usually stressed Hephaestus more than anyone else—but her contacting her son was worrying. The goddess had used magic to block their conversation from eavesdroppers—divine or otherwise—but Hecate already knew what they were discussing. She too had felt the uneasiness of the mountain the gods called home. 

Hecate slashed through the apparition and it disappeared into a silver mist. The goddess conjured another scene; this time it was of a boy who sat cross-legged on the floor of his bedroom. He was surrounded by objects: a regular garden stone, a thin branch, a school notebook, a teddy bear, and a pack of paperclips. His small face screwed up in concentration as he made each object disappear and reappear. 

The goddess sighed. What he was doing was nothing more than parlor tricks. He needed to be trained better than that, but her skin crawled as she thought of the academy. The so-called "heroes" at that school were like cattle lined up for slaughter, brainwashed into believing it was honorable to die fighting the gods' battles for them. 

She was too soft, she knew. She didn't have many children—demigod or otherwise. One of her half-mortal sons already attended the academy, but she barely knew him and had never interacted with him personally. Jinyoung was different. She supposed it was favoritism on her part because he had possessed a great power that her other son didn't. Not all demigods were born with supernatural abilities, so of course the Goddess of Magic herself would have a more tender heart for the ones that did. 

Aphrodite's interference could not have come at a worse time. Hecate cycled through her physical forms as conflicting thoughts filled her mind.  _He's not_ _ready._ He'll never be ready if we keep coddling him.  _We need some more time._ We can have no more time with him.  _He'll die if he fails._ That is not our concern.  _He could die even if he succeeds._ That is not our concern.  _He'll die—_  

"Enough!" Hecate commanded and the other two women that made up her triplicate form fell silent. This was not her crossroad and would not be her choice to make. She gazed at the image of her son once more. Jinyoung had tired himself out practicing his magic and was sleeping soundly in his bed, completely ignorant of the terrible fate that could befall him. Hecate ran a hand over her face. It was all determined by the choices he would make, she knew, but she was also aware that she wouldn't be able to guide him. The prophecy played in her mind like a terrible tune: 

 _The goddess will live but the son will surely die._  

* * *

Jinyoung's mother's silver eyes pierced through the dark haze of his dreams like the moon through the clouds at night. He awoke immediately and wasn’t surprised to see her standing in his bedroom gazing at him. Jinyoung wiped the sleep from his eyes. "Another adventure?" He asked before letting out a big yawn. 

"We have urgent matters to attend to. Get dressed." 

It took Jinyoung less than ten minutes to throw just whatever on—an oversized sweatshirt, a pair of old shorts, and rainboots—before he was transported to a road with his mother. The rain outside poured thick and heavy along the empty road and Jinyoung struggled to keep up with Hecate's hurried steps. She didn't seem to walk, but instead glide, especially with the way her dark robes billowed at her feet. Dark colors were the unofficial dress code for their excursions. They only ever went out at night, so Jinyoung always went out in black clothes, though they were usually clothes he knew he wouldn't mind if they were destroyed in some way while dealing with magic. 

A pair of gaunt looking young women soundlessly joined them. He had met the Lampades—nymphs that often accompanied his mother—on many occasions, but that didn't make him feel any less uneasy in their presence. There was something unnatural about them; it was probably due to the fact that they were from the Underworld where the dead lived and they could easily pass as ghosts themselves. The nymphs each carried a torch that would light their way in the night. Shadow-like figures flickered in and out of existence around them as the group made their journey.  

Jinyoung didn't ask where they were going; his mother wouldn't have answered anyway. He enjoyed going on trips with her even when he didn't know their final destination most of the time. He had fond memories of all the trips they had taken together. 

Hecate was tall and thin with skin as tan as his, and hair like dark ink that cascaded down to the middle of her back. Her eyes were unnaturally silver like many goddesses associated with the moon. Jinyoung had met Artemis once during their adventures, and she too had the same eyes and cold, hard gaze his mother did, but he always felt a certain way around his mother that he didn't feel around anyone else. Comfortable. Safe. Happy. 

Hecate often taught him magic during their trips. She was his most patient teacher, though she put up an image of impartialness when she needed to 'test' him. After the tests, she would gently correct his mistakes and enthusiastically celebrate his triumphs. She taught him things that he believed were impossible for a simple boy like him; in short, she made him feel powerful. 

"Jinyoung, did you practice your magic today?" She asked suddenly. Jinyoung could see the lights from a field in the horizon. 

"A little. I got home from school late, so the sun was already down and, you know..." He trailed off and looked down at the ground, embarrassed. 

"It is peculiar that your magic is weaker at night, like Circe, instead of stronger in the light of the moon like mine," his mother said. It was something they had spoken about many times when Jinyoung started practicing his magic; most sorcerers got their magic from Helios, the sun, but his mother's magic was the strongest at night, so they had both expected his to be the same way. "You shouldn't like the lack of sunlight prevent you from strengthening your abilities." 

He wanted to tell her that it felt like that there was a magical blockade preventing him from doing much at night which frustrated him, especially since he felt invincible doing magic in the morning. He didn't choose to be weaker at night; he was just born that way. He couldn't say anything, of course, but not due to his own reluctance, but due to the fact that they had arrived at their destination. 

The Lampades stood in front of them illuminating their path and Jinyoung peered out from behind them, but it only looked like they were outside some sort of large university campus. 

"Where are we?" He asked. His mother didn't answer, but instead turned to face him. The moon reflected in her eyes and for a moment she did nothing but stare at him. He gave her a hesitant smile which she didn't return. 

Hecate held out her hand and lying on her palm was a silver necklace with two small charms: a sword and a shield. "Take it. I enchanted it for you. They grow when you need them," she said. Jinyoung's eyes widened in surprise; his mother often enchanted weapons but usually they were for mortals and demigods who were about to go into battle. He took the necklace and Hecate watched as he brought it to his neck. Instantly, the jewelry was affixed in place with the miniature sword and shield resting comfortably on his chest. 

"Thank you," he said, looking from the charms to his mother. "But what is it for?" 

She looked away from him. "It's time for you to join the demigod academy." 

Jinyoung balked at her statement. He didn't have a favorable image of the demigod training academy based on what he had heard from her over the years. Once a person went in, they lived to serve the gods. She had described the academy as the place where demigods lined up eager to die for gods who barely cared about the lot of them. His mother always saw him as an equal—at least as equal a person could be to a god—and not as some pawn to fight where the gods were forbidden. 

Now she was asking him to willingly go. 

"Did I do something wrong?" 

She was quiet for a long time and she said in a low voice, "No, you did nothing wrong. This has to do with the gods. We need you to be ready." 

Jinyoung could feel the burn of tears. All these years—all the adventures they had had together—and still he was a pawn after all. He knew he shouldn't have been shocked at the revelation. To gods, mortals and demigods were not special. When you're an immortal being with extraordinary powers, what is one child out of thousands? Out of millions? It would be like him caring about the ants that crawled under his shoes. He blinked his tears back and put on a stony expression. 

"What do I have to do?" 

Hecate instantly transported the two of them into the middle of a dense forest. The Lampades had disappeared and his mother held up the two torches herself with one in each hand. Thick green moss covered everything from the bark of the trees to the rocks to the soil beneath their feet. There were pale girls in the forest that Jinyoung immediately identified as dryads that eyed him curiously. The image of his mother shimmered and she stood in front of him in her triplicate form. Three identical women made up Hecate, the Three-Formed, Goddess of Witchcraft, Magic, and Ghosts, and of the Crossroads. The three only showed up when a difficult decision had to be made.  

The goddess looked at her son with sad eyes. "I see the past, present, and future all at once," the women said in tandem. "Here is where you make one of your most difficult choices." 

"You see my future, so you already know what I choose?" He asked. 

"Life is a crossroad, and our destiny is determined by our actions. The Fates are powerful, but they are not infallible. I see all possibilities of your future; it's up to you which one will become your reality. The choice you make now shall affect not only your life, but the lives of many." 

 _The lives of many_. Jinyoung wondered if that meant people would die if he chose not to go to the academy. "What would happen if I choose to go to the school?" 

The three forms didn't hesitate: "I cannot give you any insight about the consequences of your actions. I can't help you anymore." 

"Consequences?" Jinyoung choked out. 

"It's your choice." 

"But which one is the right one?" 

"It's your choice." 

"But help me!" He pleaded as warm tears distorted his vision. "What should I do?" 

The women stayed silent for what seemed like ages, and the one in the center—the one that held up the two torches—said quietly, "It's your choice. I can't help you anymore." 

Jinyoung finally understood what she was trying to tell him: if he chose to attend the school, one of the consequences would be they wouldn't be able to meet again. He would lose his greatest teacher while enrolled at the academy. His tears spilled over onto his cheeks and Jinyoung's throat felt dry.  _The lives of many_. He had a duty. If he were to be a pawn for the gods, he had to play his part. 

"Have you chosen?" The women asked, but, of course, they already knew the answer. 

Jinyoung swallowed thickly and looked into the eyes of the woman in the center— _his_ Hecate. Not some immortal deity with many different forms.  _His_   _mother_. "Yes," he said. 

The Hecate in the center nodded and then disappeared. Jinyoung couldn't even let out a sob before the ground under his feet became water and he was immediately submerged. 

* * *

A small cafe not far from his house was where Daehwi decided to gather his thoughts and hide from his mother. It was a fruitless task—hiding from a goddess—but Daehwi was determined to ignore her existence in his life for the time being. She had visited him several times since the day she told him she was going to be kidnapped, acting more paranoid with each visit. The last time she had gone so far to write down everything she wanted to tell him and then incinerated every single scrap of paper she used. 

Daehwi sat by the door, facing a wide window that showed him the small town outside as he rested his back against his seat. His legs were spread out under the small table in front of him. The cafe's cooling system seemed to be broken as it sent hot waves of air against his neck and shoulders. Sweat prickled his skin as it slid down his back. He was uncomfortable, to say the least, but he was happy he wasn't outside where the wind seemed to be picking up.  

A sign above the window stated the coffee was brewed using the finest beans in South America. Daehwi took a sip of the drink he had ordered and grimaced as the rancid concoction flowed hotly over his unprepared taste buds. His tongue recoiled and it took every effort in him not to spit the coffee right out on the floor. Instead, he swallowed—though not a single part of his body was happy with the decision.  _More like the finest mud in South America_ , Daehwi thought. He set the cup as far from himself as possible as if it had personally offended him. Daehwi folded his arms over the table and leaned forward. The sky outside was dark. A violent wind howled past, pushing away everything in its path. Rain splattered against the café’s windows and ran down in rivets towards the panes. Once again, Daehwi was thankful he was indoors. 

His mother kept telling him that he would know when she was taken and when that happened, he would need to find the "Son of the Sorceress", whatever that meant. He didn't know why the gods never made things explicit, or at least a bit clearer. She could've easily given him the name, address, and physical description of the person he was supposed to find. She could've zapped him right to the guy's front stoop with his finger on the doorbell, but no, that was obviously too much for the Goddess of Love to handle. All she could do was tell him to find a boy and save her. 

Sometimes he really hated his mother. 

"The storm spirits are really restless today, aren't they?" A girl who looked around his age said as she slipped into the seat across from him. Her golden eyes peeked out from under thick bangs as she stared up at him. She smiled as if they were old friends, but she didn’t look like someone Daehwi would befriend. She looked peculiar; she had unnaturally bright eyes that hurt to look into—like his mother’s sometimes were—and she wore a thick forest green sweater dress with brown knee-high socks and no shoes. 

"The weatherman said nothing about it raining today," Daehwi said, hoping that would be enough to end the conversation. He pointedly turned his head away from her, keeping his gaze out the window as more dark clouds gathered overhead. 

"Oh, mortal weathermen cannot predict the actions of the  _anemoi_ _thuellai_ ," the girl replied, crossing her legs at the ankles and giving him a conspiratorial grin. 

Daehwi cocked an eyebrow at her. “What are you talking about?” 

“I’m just talking about the weather, Daehwi,” she said; she looked away from him but grinned as if they were sharing some sort of joke. 

He tensed. “How do you know my name?” 

“I’ve been keeping an eye on you.”  

The lights above their heads flickered ominously as thunder rumbled outside.  _A gut feeling_ , his mother had said.  _Olympus is stirring_. Daehwi slowly got to his feet. “Okay…I think I’m going to go.” 

“No, wait!” The girl grabbed his arm but he pulled it away, ready to run. The girl stood up suddenly, possibly already anticipating a chase. “I know where you can find the boy you seek.” 

Daehwi hesitated. “Are you working for my mother? Are you a—“ He glanced around before continuing in a low voice, “demi-god?” 

The girl laughed--quite loudly if he were being honest. “I’ve been mistaken for many things in my life, but never a demi-god. I suppose it’s because I’m without a companion. I am a dryad.” When Daehwi stared at her blankly, she clarified: “A tree nymph. You know, the spirits of the forests?” 

“I’m sorry. I’m not well versed in mythology.” 

“It’s not mythology! I’m obviously real—though it  _is_ strange that you haven’t already been enrolled at the academy,” the dryad said. The wind howled outside, banging furiously against the exterior of the café. The dryad stared past Daehwi out the windows and stiffened. “We have to go,” she said, moving to his side and grabbing his arm. 

“I don’t even know who you are!” Daehwi protested as he tried to move out of her grasp. She only held on tighter, her arm twisting around his like a vine on a branch. 

“My name is of no importance, young hero. We need to get out of here right now.” As she said those words, the lights flickered and turned off. Daehwi felt the dryad go still, so still that it made him nervous.  

He had heard the stories of great demi-gods who could fight any beast that came their way and still make it in time for dinner, but he had no idea what to do if  _he_ were to face one. The front doors of the cafe burst open and everything went eerily quiet as a frigid breeze slithered inside, causing goosebumps to ripple on Daehwi’s skin. The dryad’s fingernails dug into his arm. 

“She knows we’re here,” she whispered, more to herself than to him. Before he could ask who, a scream broke out behind them. He whipped his head back to see where it had come from, but that cost him. Daehwi was slammed back against the table behind him, his back colliding with the surface hard. The sky outside was darker than he had ever seen it and he couldn’t see exactly what he was fighting. He struggled to get back on his feet, but whatever had slammed him down now had him pinned onto the table. Daehwi kicked and wriggled as hard as he could, but to no avail. He was suddenly aware the nymph no longer held onto his arms and used the opportunity to push his assailant the best he could. It was like thrusting his arms into a bucket of ice. Daehwi recoiled at the sensation. 

 _Use your power_ , a familiar voice whispered in his head,  _You_ _cannot fight a storm with your fists._  

Daehwi wanted to argue that he hadn’t thought about his power in years, but that was a lie. It was always in the back of his mind, but he bogged it down with all the other sickening thoughts that fluttered in his head in moments of fear, trepidation, or anger. 

 _Do not be afraid. Olympus runs through you. You are stronger than they are in more ways than one. You are my Golden Boy._  

His mother’s voice had never calmed him before, but now it was like the peace in the center of a storm. He already felt stronger and more confident. He  _could_ do it; he  _was_ her Golden Boy. There was power in her words, the same way there was power in his. His entire body trembled from the cold, but he cleared his throat and in his strongest voice, he said, “Get off me.” 

His attacker hesitated and Daehwi saw that as an opening. He was quick as he kicked himself off the table, ignoring the pain that came with the motion. On his feet, he could think more clearly. He put as much force as he could behind his words. 

“Take a step back.” Another hesitation, but his attacker ultimately did what he commanded. “Don’t touch me again.” He was finally able to get a good look at what he was fighting as his eyes adjusted to the darkness. It was a blurry dark gray humanoid figure with splotches of deep purple and black bursting at various parts of its body. It reminded him of the sky during a storm.  _A storm spirit_ , he figured.  _That would make sense_. “Stay here,” he told the spirit. “Don’t move.” The storm spirit howled in protest, but obeyed. 

He looked around the cafe. Various storm spirits were attacking the patrons of the cafe. There was chaos everywhere; people were screaming, winds were howling, furniture was being broken left and right, and glass rained down like deadly confetti. He thought he could even see the hunched over figure of a dead woman in the shadows. His breath caught in his throat; he was scared that it was the dryad, until he heard her call his name.  

“Hello?” he called out, looking around for her. He pushed past his storm spirit attacker, calling out to her until his eyes fell on her in one of the corners of the cafe. Two storm spirits tried to stop him, but he darted out of their way before they advanced upon him. The dryad was being held by the neck by a woman with long dark hair and pale skin. Daehwi ran up to her and yanked the woman’s shoulder back to face him. The woman snarled and he almost jumped back when he saw her face. She would’ve been beautiful if her dark eyes weren’t sunken in and if there weren’t blood and bits of flesh running down her chin. She breathed out and a sickly smell filled the air around him. It was bitter and stale, like a week-old carcass left in the sun to rot. Daehwi threw a hand over his nose.  

“Leave her alone!” He commanded. The woman slashed at him with her talon-like fingernails. 

“Do you really think that little power of yours would work on me? I am not a weak storm spirit, you fool,” she said. The dryad let out a choked sob as the woman squeezed her neck tighter. Even in the darkness, Daehwi could see her face getting redder and redder. He figured he couldn’t fight a storm with his fists, but he could try fighting the vampire-like woman. There was no voice from his mother telling him what to do this time; Daehwi knew he was all on his own. 

He picked up the leg of a broken chair and slammed it as hard as he could into the vampire’s face. He was hoping for a reaction and, unfortunately for him, he got it. The vampire dropped the girl, who crumpled in a heap on the ground, and lunged for him. She tackled him down and something hard collided with his knee. Daehwi groaned and looked down to see a brass leg. The woman’s other leg was that of a donkey. 

“What the hell?” Daehwi tried to block as the vampire went for his neck. She only managed to graze his arm, but her teeth were sharp enough to break the skin and a small trickle of blood spilled out. He mustered all his energy to roll her off him so that he was straddling her hips. 

“No, no, naughty boy. You’re too young for this sort of fun,” she said and winked. She wiggled her body underneath him in a way that Daehwi assumed was supposed to be seductive. He caught a whiff of her rancid breath. From what he could see, she had rows of sharpened fangs in her mouth that were all yellow with brownish-gray and red stains. Bits of flesh were stuck between her teeth. Daehwi shuddered and tried not to vomit right in her face. 

“Yeah, no thanks, lady,” he said and brought the chair leg to her throat. A piece of the bark had splintered off so he pressed the jagged piece of wood against her skin. She snapped her jaw at him so he pressed the wood deeper. It wouldn’t break the skin, but it would make her very uncomfortable. 

“You’re no fun,” the vampire said. “Guess I just have to…” She kicked up with her donkey leg right into his groin. Daehwi was on the ground next to her instantly as pain shot up his body. 

He bit back a curse as he curled up into a ball with his eyes closed. The cold floor cooled his body as sweat from pain and overexertion slid down his face. He could hear as the woman struggled to her feet. Her steps were abnormal. One leg scraped along while the other clopped on the wood floor. Daehwi opened an eye to see her standing in front of him with her brass leg parallel to his head. She drew her leg back and he braced himself for the worst. 

A siren blared outside and tires screeched on the pavement. The vampire cursed under her breath and dropped her leg. She hissed something in another language and suddenly the storm spirits surrounded her. The air dropped several degrees and Daehwi felt like he was going to freeze to death.  “This will get the attention of that freaking school, no doubt. The last thing I need is a gang of demigod brats up my ass. We’re out of here.” One of the spirits said something Daehwi didn’t catch, to which the vampire responded, “These two are practically dead anyway. Our job here is done.” Red and blue lights filled Daehwi’s line of vision, the brightness blinding him after all the darkness. The woman cursed again and he watched as she hobbled quickly out the backdoor of the cafe with the storm spirits hot on her heels. 

Daehwi let out an audible sigh of relief and watched as the dryad stumbled over to him. The entire left side of her body was covered in blood and he traced the source to a deep gash on the side of her neck. 

“We have to...can you stand...the police are…” Her voice was hollow and weak. He could hear cops yelling outside and he knew it was only a matter of time before they entered and started asking questions. Daehwi pushed himself into the upright position. There was still a dull ache from his groin, but there were other things he had to worry about. 

As he stood, he asked, “I’m guessing we’re not sticking around to file a police report?” The dryad let out a pained laugh which would’ve made her fall face first into the ground if Daehwi hadn’t caught her in time. He ignored how his aching muscles protested as he let her rest her entire body weight on him. 

“We must...the school…” Her breaths were coming in shallow and Daehwi was starting to get worried. 

“Okay, which direction is it?” He held onto her tightly and started making his way towards the back door, hoping the storm spirits weren’t waiting for them out there.  

She rested her head on his chest and whispered, “Just get outside," her eyes slid closed, “I’ll do the rest.” 

* * *

Jinyoung's body seized up in panic as water filled his mouth and nostrils. 

 _I_ _t_ _'s another test_ , he told himself.  _She won't let you_ _drown_ _. It's a test. It's a test!_  

As if to prove him wrong, a slimy hand wrapped around his ankle and pulled him down hard. Jinyoung tried to scream but it was no use. He couldn't see anything in the water and the light of the moon receded as he was pulled further and further down into an unknown abyss. He thrashed wildly, kicking in every direction, and his foot came in contact with something solid that he hoped to the gods was the face of whatever was pulling him. He could barely hear a muffled screech and then there was a sharp pain on the bottom of his foot. Jinyoung knew he had been cut, but he kicked harder until the hand that had been holding him let go. 

Jinyoung could barely see the moon from his position, but just looking at it calmed him down. He held his breath the best he could and remembered his magic training.  _Use your instincts_ , his mother would always say to him.  _Magic is about feeling. Clear your mind, then focus on your task._  Jinyoung cleared his mind, closed his eyes, and envisioned land. He heard something shoot past him in the water and something else was swimming up from below, so Jinyoung wished harder.  _Land. Land. Land._  

He felt air on his back and he raised his head out of the water and gasped. His eyes adjusted to the change and the shore was right in arms' reach. Jinyoung laughed crazily as he clawed at the muck between the water and the grass. His hands came back filled with dirt and grass until he finally hauled himself up and out of the water. Once most of his body was out, he collapsed back onto the wet grass. He coughed the water out of his lungs in between fits of delirious giggles out of pure joy. He had made it. He was alive. 

"Is there someone in the water?" He heard someone say a distance away from him. 

"It’s a kid!" 

"What’s he doing there?"  

"Fuck, I think he's drowning." 

"Get Jonghyun! A kid just came out of the lake!" There were more voices now; they buzzed in his ear, shouting things that he couldn't quite catch. Jinyoung took one last look at the moon before he passed out from exhaustion. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been working really hard on this AU. I hope people like it and leave lovely messages because stuff like that encourages me to write more (and encourages other writers to write more so remember to always comment on fics you like!!!) I was going to post the first chapter on November 11 (11/11) at 11:11 PM KST, but I'm an impatient baby and October 11 is good enough.
> 
> So, please leave a lot of love! You can talk to me on Twitter @kangdanielvevo but I'm not exactly the best conversationalist. Also apparently curiouscat is a thing people use? Listen I'm on old bitch; in my day we posted fics on LJ and ff.net and cried about them on Tumblr. I'm just trying to stay hip to the kiddos.


	2. Chapter 2

Jinyoung had heard many stories about the Minotaur, but this was the first time he had seen one up close. It was absolutely terrifying. The Minotaur was a massive beast with a bull's head and a man's body with muscles bigger than Jinyoung's head, and furry skin the color of coal. Its giant horns were as long as a young child and looked a million times sharper than even the best sword. Only one command entered Jinyoung's head when he gazed at it:  _run away_. But he couldn't run away, of course. That wasn't his destiny. He was a demigod and demigods were not cowards. He had the (metaphorical) blood of the gods running through his veins, the same blood that ran through great emperors and famed soldiers. Besides, the forest they were in didn’t provide much cover when it came to a giant creature that could flatten trees with its  _face_ without giving it a second thought. Jinyoung squared his jaw and narrowed his eyes, keeping the half-bull half-man in his vision. 

He remembered his training and bent his knees to ready himself for any attack. His heart was a tiny drum in his chest, pounding harder and louder as the Minotaur advanced. Jinyoung whipped his sword out; it wasn’t anything special, just a 75-cm gladius with a steel hilt. He had been practicing with a few other weapons, but it was the only one that felt comfortable in his hands. He supposed it was because it was the sword given to him by his mother. The Minotaur roared as it barreled toward him and Jinyoung struggled to keep his eyes open as the creature’s stale breath penetrated his senses. His eyes watered, but he stood his ground. He raised his sword and lowered his head slightly just as the Minotaur stood a foot away from him.  _Remember your training._ _You can do this_ , Jinyoung reassured himself as he rushed forward and slashed the sword in the Minotaur’s direction. 

The beast was momentarily startled at the movement and staggered back. Jinyoung took the opportunity to thrust the sword into its knee. The Minotaur howled and slapped him away, sending him crashing into a few trees. Jinyoung felt a trickle of warm blood make its way from his temple, but he knew he had to keep on his feet.  _The bigger the beast, the harder they fall_ , he reminded himself. He just had to topple the Minotaur and thrust his sword into its forehead to defeat it.  _Easier said than done_ , Jinyoung thought as he struggled to stand. The Minotaur had already recovered from his surprise, though it hobbled unsurely on its massive legs as it looked for him. 

Jinyoung tried to stay as quiet as possible. The shadows cast by the midday sun and the thick trees provided enough cover for the time being. The Minotaur didn’t have good eyesight—he knew this from his studies—but it could smell fear like it was Sunday dinner. He carefully walked in the shadows, keeping his back to the trees and his eyes on the beast. He gripped the hilt of his sword tight, but the moistness of his sweaty palms made it hard to hold. Jinyoung switched his sword to his left hand and wiped his right on his trousers. He was getting closer to the Minotaur; he could already smell the damp fur and thick musk from where he was standing. He held his breath as he took another step forward. 

 _Caw! Caw! Caw!_ Jinyoung whipped his head up to see a crow perched on a branch right above his head. Another one joined on the branch and then another and then another. They croaked in an almost mocking fashion, staring at him as they made their noise. 

“Crows?  _Really?_ ” he growled in an undertone. The birds cawed louder and louder and Jinyoung knew there was no way the Minotaur hadn’t heard. Sure enough, when he turned, he saw a dark shadow coming toward him. Before he could take any action, the monster was already in front of him. Jinyoung tried to quickly switch his sword to his dominant hand, but he dropped it as he tried to keep the Minotaur in his line of sight. He cursed to himself as he dropped to the ground and blindly reached around for his sword. His hand grazed the side of it and Jinyoung recoiled. The extra time it took him to pick his sword cost him everything. The dirt sunk around him and in less than a second he was hoisted metres into the air by his legs. His sword slipped out of his sweaty palms and landed softly in the dirt, leaving him weaponless. He tried his best to wriggle from the Minotaur’s grasp, but the beast held on tight. All Jinyoung could see was its black bull nose and large mouth as it blew hot air into his face. Jinyoung punched the side of its face, but the leathery skin was too hard for that to have any effect. The Minotaur used its other hand to grab him around the middle and squeezed so tightly that Jinyoung couldn’t help but scream out. The beast blew more air into his face as if it were laughing and opened its mouth wider. Jinyoung could clearly see each and every last one of its brown and yellow teeth. He kept his eyes open, trying to formulate a plan as quickly as he could, as the creature brought him to its mouth. If he was going to go down, he was going to go down fighting. 

"Time!" Dongho shouted. 

The forest shimmered and then disappeared from view, leaving Jinyoung in the Minotaur’s clutches in the middle of a large arena. The Minotaur went rigid and then dissolved into the ground. Only a CD was left in its wake as Jinyoung fell several metres from the air and landed hard on his back. Pain exploded throughout his body, first from his chest and then outward in every direction. It hurt to breathe and he kept his eyes closed as balls of light exploded behind his lids. 

He always ended up on the ground when it came to the simulations. In peer-to-peer combat, there was at least a semblance of sympathy. Someone would always hold out a hand to help him up or stop right before giving the hypothetical killing blow. He never got hurt too bad during student combat. Even archery—which he was absolutely dreadful at and it didn't help that he had class with a good amount of Apollo's kids—didn't leave him scarred and aching for days, but simulations always ended in pain. 

He knew the simulations were the most important part of their training and most students didn't get quests for "hands-on" practice. He had heard about the mortality rate in the days before a gang of Hephaestus’ kids had decided to jump head first into the 21st century and create the simulations. Almost all students who had gone on quests before then had died before coming back as they were not trained enough to face actual monsters. Now, only 60% of quests ended in failure; that was amazing considering demigods did not have a history of living long, fulfilling lives. 

He could hear snickering all around him and he groaned inwardly; of course, he had failed yet another simulation and,  _of_ _course_ _,_ half the school had first row seats to his humiliation. The laughter got louder the longer Jinyoung laid on the ground, so he struggled to his feet and staggered over to where Dongho was standing, now with the Minotaur simulation disk in his hand. The older boy gave Jinyoung a sympathetic look. The simulations were designed to record the training sessions in order for the students to see what they did well and what they needed to work on. This was the seventh simulation Jinyoung had failed this month; he didn't need a recording to tell him he needed to work on everything. 

Jinyoung didn’t want to take the CD from him. "You didn't have to end it," he mumbled, keeping his gaze low to the ground. It felt like something large was sitting on his chest, making it impossible for him to get a full breath of air or to even exhale without a wheeze. 

"It’s okay, Jinyoung,” Dongho said, and Jinyoung just hated the concern in his voice. It was almost patronizing, especially coming from a son of Ares who was known for always doing well on the simulations even during his first year at the school. It wasn’t Dongho’s fault Jinyoung wasn’t as good, he knew, but it hurt to have everyone know just how bad he was. Jinyoung hated the simulations and he hated the academy. 

“Everything was going fine until those  _stupid_ crows showed up,” he said, though he felt like he was trying to convince himself more than Dongho. 

Dongho gave him a pat on the back that was more painful than comforting. “You’re a demigod. You’re supposed to be prepared for anything.” 

“How am I supposed to anticipate crows in the middle of a forest while I’m fighting a Minotaur?" Jinyoung shot back. Anger flared in his chest and he could feel himself shaking. He knew he was angry at the wrong person, but he couldn’t help it. There seemed to be a continuous chorus of mocking laughter from the crowd and Jinyoung didn't know if he were making it all up in his head or if it were really happening. His eyes burned with tears and his throat constricted, getting drier and drier as he willed himself to hide his sobs until he reached his room. 

Jinyoung took the CD from Dongho and kept his head down in shame as he started toward the exit of the arena. He had taken only a few hurried steps when the ache in his chest had gotten so unbearable that it seemed to be sucking the life right out of him. He let out a pained cough and staggered back. He heard Dongho shout in his direction before Jinyoung's eyes rolled back and he crumpled onto the ground—unconscious. 

* * *

Daehwi kept his shoulders square and drawn together. A gentle breeze moved past him and rattled the leaves on the trees that surrounded the area. The nymphs that had gathered from deeper in the forest watched him with interest, as did the other students in his class. He was the last one to demonstrate the new techniques they had learned in their archery class. Usually, they had practiced in the controlled environment of the range of the outdoor classroom area, but this time their instructor wanted them to showcase their abilities by the entrance of the forest on the other side of the campus. 

 The forests held a lot more distractions, such as nymphs and wildlife. The nymphs especially made him nervous. They watched the class closely, ready to rain hell on any student whose arrow accidentally struck one of the trees which were, of course, their homes that they were very protective of. 

He drew the string back, his fingers hovering right over his cheek, and steadied himself. His focus was only on the painted block a few metres in front of him. It was the farthest target he had ever had since he started his training, but he kept his mind at ease. 

He was hyper aware of the muscles in his shoulders as he drew back to his anchor point by his mouth. He had already leaned slightly to the side to take in consideration the direction of the wind and heard Youngmin inhale sharply as he made minute changes to his positioning. It was the first time he had been observed by his older friends Youngmin and Donghyun.  _Just relax_ , he told himself.  _Don't think too much about impressing them_. 

He was starting to feel tension as he kept the bow drawn. Daehwi didn't breathe as he made sure his elbow was in line with the arrow and let his mind go blank as he released his shot. The arrow tore through the air and struck the target centimetres below the bullseye. 

"Very good!" Youngmin's voice pulled him back to the forest and Daehwi saw his friends smiling back at him. Pride swelled in his chest as he set his bow down. His classmates gave him polite applause—most likely because he had done much better than anyone else even if he had slightly missed the bullseye—but Youngmin and Donghyun cheered loudly for him. 

Their instructor signaled the end of class and shouted after the rushing first year students about what they needed to prepare for their next meeting. The nymphs that had surrounded them disappeared into the trees—finally able to breathe easy now that there wasn't a classroom invading their space. Daehwi felt his friends come up behind him as he slipped off his leather arm-guard and quiver, and placed them with his practice bow in the supplies bin his instructor had brought along. 

Donghyun patted him on the back. "You've only been here for a few months, but you're already so good." 

"They're absolutely going to put you in Field Archery during your Seconds," Youngmin added. Daehwi beamed at their praises. He hadn't even thought of staying at the academy for long, but the prospect of being chosen for a class that only the best students got into—most of which were children of Apollo—made him feel giddy. 

"Do you really think so?" He asked them in a hopeful voice as the trio walked from the training area together. 

Youngmin slung an arm around his shoulder. "Absolutely," he said with a smile. Daehwi's own smile grew and he let his older friends lead him to the entrance of the Field of Legends outside of the forest. "What class do you have after this?" 

"Just a standard simulation in the arena. Today is Minotaur day," Daehwi answered. 

"I heard someone passed out after his simulation earlier today," Donghyun told them. 

The other two boys stopped walking. "What? Who?" Daehwi asked. 

Donghyun shrugged. "It must be a new kid. I asked around, but no one seemed to know his name." 

"Poor kid," Youngmin said. "Minotaur simulations were the hardest for me in my first year too." 

"I hope he's okay," Daehwi said. Simulations weren't hard for him, but after facing an empousa before joining the academy, he knew how difficult defeating monsters could be; he couldn't even imagine what it was like for a student who had never faced a real one before. Daehwi looked up at the darkening sky and then back at his friends. "Have you guys seen Woojin?" 

"I saw him by the lake earlier around the naiads," Youngmin said. 

"He has been spending a lot of time around the naiads lately," Donghyun said under his breath. He exchanged a sly grin with Youngmin that Daehwi didn't understand. 

"Okay..." Daehwi said, looking from the two of them. "I'll go look for him then. I need something from him." His friends nodded and bid their goodbyes, leaving Daehwi alone to attend to his business. 

After his friends had left, Daehwi entered the Field of Legends, a vast green field filled with marble statues that overlooked the school's lake at the bottom of the hill. The lake separated the academy's boys' campus from the equally expansive girls' campus at the other side. The demigods were separated by sexes supposedly because they thought young boys and girls wouldn't focus on their training around each other, but Daehwi thought it had more to do with the fact that the boys' academy had satyrs—a species that were known for being wild and lustful, though the ones at the school were a bit more well-behaved. The lake that separated the campuses were filled with many creatures, some friendly but most not, to prevent any male—satyr or demigod—from reaching the other side where the girls studied.  

It was similar to the dense forest behind the center courtyard that the students had dubbed the "Deep Forest." Daehwi had heard many stories about the dryads there that evoked madness on boys that even dared to penetrate the depths to get to the girls' campus. In the heart of the Deep Forest was a small log cabin where Hestia and her temple servants stayed from time to time and was a place of shelter, but that was if one was lucky enough to reach the cabin before the nymphs got them. 

Daehwi made his way through the Field of Legends, but couldn't see Woojin by the lake from his vantage point. The Field had hundreds—maybe even thousands, Daehwi had never counted or asked—of life-sized marble statues of demigods that had completed legendary quests. Among famous figures such as Hercules, Achilles, and Odysseus were students at the school or ones that had been at the school previously. It was considered an honor to have a statue in the Field of Legends; it meant you were immortalized and revered like the heroes of the past. 

Daehwi stopped in front of one of the statues; it was of a tall, handsome boy with fox-like features and a determined look on his face. The statue looked straight ahead which was over Daehwi's head. The plaque in front of the statue read HWANG MINHYUN and underneath it in cursive writing:  _Circe's Plague_. The eradication of Circe's plague was the most famous quest in the academy's recent history and had catapulted everyone involved to the school's top ranks where they stayed even years later. It had solidified Minhyun's status as the wisest student at the school and was the start of his "Emperor Minhyun" nickname. Everyone hoped for the chance to be on a quest team created by Minhyun, knowing that it guaranteed great fame and respect, but Minhyun was very selective when it came to his teams. Daehwi hoped that he would someday be good enough to be chosen. 

As Daehwi walked down the hill of the Field of Legends, he passed another Minhyun statue and then another. If he had remembered correctly, Minhyun had five statues in total in the field after having five legendary missions. There were students who went their entire time at the school without getting even one. Walking through the Field made Daehwi want to be a better demigod; his mother had given him many special abilities, including the power of  _persuasion_ —the ability to influence others using just his voice—but he wanted to also become a capable fighter. 

When Daehwi finally reached the school's lake, he didn't see anyone around except for a few naiads—freshwater nymphs—who splashed around lazily in the water. The sun was going down, so most students were at the dorms or in the cafeteria. The nymphs usually came out when the students weren't milling around, as they weren't quite fond of them. Honestly, Daehwi couldn't blame them. He had seen how the other boys would try to show off or flirt with the nymphs when they were just trying to mind their own business. 

He guessed he had annoyed them somehow because the naiads suddenly disappeared. Daehwi checked the area once more to confirm Woojin wasn't around and suddenly felt a tingling sensation on his skin. Aphrodite shimmered into view in front of him. Her hair was a cascade of perfectly effortless curls and her skin was plump and youthful as usual, but her face was tight with worry. She stared past him. 

"Mother?" Daehwi was surprised to see her there; she hadn't visited him once during his three months at the academy and he had almost forgotten that it was her fault he was there in the first place. She looked into his eyes and then disappeared. The goddess reappeared once more. Her eyes were now sunken and her hair was limp. 

"Your mission," she said in a shrill tone, "How could you forget your mission?" She grabbed his forearms suddenly. "You forgot! You forgot!" Before Daehwi could say anything to her, she disappeared again. She popped in and out several times, until, finally, she stopped and looked at him with wet eyes. Her entire face shone with tears. She grabbed her son, this time tenderly, and held his head close to her chest. She buried her face in his hair as she said in a voice that was nearly inaudible: " _The magician shall walk amongst the stones of the Underworld_." 

She disappeared for the final time and left Daehwi standing alone—completely shaken by the entire encounter. 

* * *

Jinyoung slipped silently out of the infirmary after he had been discharged. He desperately wished he had been given something to wear other than the pink sweatsuit after the nurses in the infirmary had deemed his bloodied clothes unsalvageable. He hadn't even noticed he was bleeding during his simulation; he couldn't recall for the life of him when it could've have happened, but the fresh gauze covering his chest and forearm told him they were telling the truth. 

Most students had already retreated to their dorms or the dining area, but Jinyoung could still hear the sound of students training in the distance, so he decided to hide out in the school's library. With how fast rumors travelled at the academy, he knew the whole school was aware of his failed simulation. He had no desire to be a witness of their mockery and commentary. It was times like this when Jinyoung wished he had one of his hooded sweatshirts or hats; he needed anything that would hide his face from the others. Jinyoung supposed he should have grown numb to it by now, to let the reactions and comments from the other students after another inevitable failure just roll off his back, but he couldn't. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't.  

Past the infirmary and in front of the dorms was the school's central courtyard where the ranking board stood proudly, though it evoked pride in some more than others. Jinyoung considered it obnoxious; it was right in the way the moment one walked out of the housing building and able to be seen from anywhere in school other than the outdoor classroom area or the groves. Jinyoung supposed that was the point; the students who were high ranked surely wanted everyone to see. 

Jinyoung stopped in front of the electronic ranking board. Numbers and names, as well as godly parents and grade level, scrolled by at every second. The names in the lower ranks were smaller and flashed by in a way that if one weren't looking for a specific name, they wouldn't even notice them. As the list reached the top 30, the names got bigger and stayed on the screen for longer. The top 10 stayed for the longest—nearly an entire minute. 

Everything affected the rankings: the circumstances of a student's enrollment, how long they had been at the school, their grades, their performance during standard and advanced simulations, even how often they took time out of their day to pray to and praise the gods, but everyone knew the best way to get into the top ranks was to successfully complete a quest doled out by the gods. Jinyoung saw the usual names at the top: 

  1. KANG DANIEL, SON OF DIONYSUS; THIRDS 
  2. KIM JONGHYUN, SON OF POSEIDON; FOURTHS 
  3. HWANG MINHYUN, SON OF ZEUS; FOURTHS 
  4. PARK JIHOON, SON OF HERMES; SECONDS 
  5. ONG SEONGWU, SON OF APOLLO; THIRDS 



The top 10 spots were all children of Olympians, known for their feats of great strength, wisdom, and battle strategy. At the academy, the children of the Olympians were respected as though they were Olympians themselves. Perhaps it was due to the pressure of being the children of the most powerful gods, but most were well-known for their heroic exploits. 

It would've been an understatement to say he was jealous. Jinyoung wished he was as powerful and popular as they were. Daniel practically had his own cult of fevered supporters like his father did. Jonghyun was praised for his leadership abilities in and out of battle, even by the goddess Athena who regularly blessed him with enchanted weapons and supernatural abilities. Minhyun was the one most adored by Athena and was known for his great cunning and ability to put together legendary teams for quests. Jinyoung wondered what it was like to be them. He watched the rankings until he finally saw his name flash by: 

  1. BAE JINYOUNG, SON OF HECATE; FIRSTS



In all honesty, he hated the ranking system. 

Jinyoung kept his head down as he speed-walked to the Parthenon-inspired school library. Once he passed the marble columns, he relaxed. He quite liked the school library. It was the largest single building on campus. Being modeled after the Parthenon in Athens, it was rectangular with tall marble columns all around the outside, an incredibly high ceiling, and masterfully sculpted statues inside the building.  

A giant statue of Athena in her battle armor greeted all those that passed through the library’s walls, holding a bronze shield in her left hand and a smaller statue of the winged goddess Nike on the palm of her outstretched right hand. It was breathtakingly beautiful and one of the few places at the academy where he felt safe from the snickers and gossip of other students. Everyone was there strictly to learn and study. In fact, there were many students who never even ventured into the shadows cast by the giant structure since the school library was the common meeting place of the Cult of Athena. 

Even now, from what Jinyoung could see around the endless rows of bookshelves and neatly organized tables and chairs, most of the people there were of the Cult of Athena and considered themselves her honorary children. Athena, whose hubris was sometimes greater than her knowledge, accepted them with open arms, blessing them and protecting them as long as they promised to stand for wisdom and heroic endeavors (and to sing her praises often). Usually it was the kids of lesser known minor gods or nymphs who jumped at the opportunity to join the Athena Fan Club, choosing to associate themselves with a deity who was well-known and celebrated instead of their own godly parent. 

Jinyoung sat at one of the tables just to the left of the front door. Already on the table in front of him was a thousand-paged book on monsters. The cover was sickly green with dull gold lettering; it didn't look particularly interesting, but it gave Jinyoung something to do while he was hiding out in the library. He pulled it in front of himself with difficulty and opened to the middle of the book. A rather realistic artist depiction of a Minotaur stared ominously up at him from the page. Jinyoung felt a jolt in his chest and quickly turned to another page. The next image was of a gorgon. Jinyoung was in his first year, which meant that he wouldn't face a gorgon during the simulations for at least two more years. 

He glanced around the room to make sure no one's attention was on him before he waved his hand over the image of the monster. At first, nothing happened, but then slowly the image melted off the page and a palm-sized gorgon materialized in front of him on the table. The gorgon had ashen gray skin and live snakes for hair that snapped their jaws at him and slithered against his fingers. Jinyoung waved a hand over her and tried to make her disappear, but it was proving to be difficult.  _Come on_ , Jinyoung thought. _I can do this. I don't need the sun. I can do this_. 

The gorgon, when she realized Jinyoung staring at her directly did not turn him into stone, grabbed his index finger with both of her tiny hands and bit his flesh with her sharp teeth. Jinyoung grimaced—more in annoyance than anything else—and pulled his hand away. Then, as quietly as he could, he picked the monster book up and dropped it on top of her. She let out a tinny screech before no other sound could be heard. Jinyoung made a mental note to wipe down the back of the book before he left the library. 

He sighed and dropped his head onto the table. He didn't even know why he was still at the academy. He barely ever got the opportunity to practice his magic and when he did, something always went wrong. He was still in his first year, so he knew he had time to improve, but it was getting frustrating seeing others improve so much in at a faster pace than he. 

"Why did I even come to this school in the first place?" He muttered to himself. 

Enrollment at the academy was simple and the tuition was nonexistent. The school only had, at most, 101 boys at any time. There was always a spot available for those willing to join due to how often young demigods were killed during quests or simply chose to leave on their own after training for years. The classes were split by how long each student had been at the school: Firsts were students who had been there for less than 2 years, Seconds were 2 to 4 years, Thirds were 4 to 6 years, and Fourths were the ones who had been there for more than 6 years. Fourths were rare at the school. From what Jinyoung had heard around the campus, most didn't make it past their Seconds. 

"Olympus is stirring?" Jinyoung's head snapped up to see Hwang Minhyun and Kim Jonghyun sitting at the table across from him. They talked in low tones, but the library was so quiet that he could easily listen in on their conversation. He watched as Minhyun rubbed a hand over his face before he sat back in his seat and continued: "Is that what they're telling you?" 

Jonghyun shrugged. "They're all repeating it like a mantra. Even the deepest sea creatures are spooked. I think that's why they haven't been helping us with our quests." 

Minhyun let out a humorless laugh. "They haven't just stopped helping us on the quests. They've been downright hostile. Quests are becoming increasingly more dangerous," he said. He crossed his arms over his chest and looked down at the table. "Sungwoon told me that many of the gods have left for their other domains outside Olympus." 

"Really? Do you think there's discord in Olympus?" 

Minhyun was silent for a long time before he sighed, and said: "I don't know what it means." 

 _Bang!_  

The conversation ended abruptly as everyone was startled by the noise. There was a loud commotion outside where shouting could be heard. Several people cast annoyed looks at the disturbance before returning to their work, but Minhyun and Jonghyun shared a concerned look. 

A boy Jinyoung didn't know rushed into the library. "Minhyun! Jonghyun!" He shouted as he ran over to them, tripping over his own feet. Minhyun strode over to the boy immediately to catch him. 

"Seonho, what—" 

"It's Daniel!" Seonho wailed. "He's back from his mission but he's hurt. The teachers said to find you. He j-just appeared in the courtyard. He's the only one from his team who made it back." Minhyun looked back at Jonghyun who had just gotten to his feet. Instantly, the boys ran out of the library to the courtyard. Several others abandoned their books and ran out with them, including Jinyoung who had quietly slipped out the door behind them. 

By the time they had reached outside, a crowd had already formed. Minhyun and Jonghyun made their way through the throngs of students to the center. Some nymphs from the forests stood by their trees, holding each other in concern for the hero. Jinyoung could see a few of their faces were streaked with glistening tears. He had chosen to stay on the periphery of the crowd, close to the Field of Legends, and caught glimpses of a pale and bloodied body on the ground. It was marred with bruises and blood spread around Daniel like a sickening halo. Jinyoung's veins turned icy when he heard someone say, “Oh my gods, I think he’s dead.” 

The temperature around him seemed to have dropped several degrees and Jinyoung hugged himself for warmth. He saw a blurred shadowed figure emerge from behind one of the statues near him. Shades—spirits of the dead from the Underworld—flickered in and out of his line of vision. It wasn't anything new; he had often seen the spirits of the dead both inside and outside the school, but he had never seen them so vividly. He could almost see their faces as they moved closer to him. He even thought he could make out the faces of one of the students that went to the academy. The shades began to congregate in the Field and Jinyoung watched as their non-corporeal bodies made their way down the hill toward the lake. 

There was a boy at the lake. Jinyoung blinked in surprise. He thought every student who was awake would've been in the crowd trying to see what was happening. Jinyoung could only see the boy's back, but he looked like he was with someone. At first, he thought it was a dead spirit due to how it disappeared and reappeared repeatedly until the figure's image stabilized and he saw it was a woman—a goddess. Jinyoung watched curiously as the goddess acted strangely toward the boy. First, she just stared past him. Then, she yelled at him and grabbed him. Then, she just hugged him before she disappeared. Jinyoung's eyebrows constricted and he wondered if the goddess' peculiar behavior had anything to do with what had happened to Daniel. 

Finally, the boy turned around, looking dazed, and Jinyoung saw that it was a fellow first year student named Lee Daehwi. He had heard about him, but they had never spoken. Daehwi looked up from the lake, right at Jinyoung. The two boys held each other's gaze. 

Someone roughly pushed past him which tore his attention away from Daehwi. He watched as the person barreled through the crowd, but came to a dead stop when they reached the body. Jinyoung realized it was Daniel's close friend Seongwu. 

Ong Seongwu was in a frantic state as he stared at his friend; he ran his hands through his dark hair repeatedly. He spoke too softly for Jinyoung to hear, but from his lips, it looked like he was just repeating  _"_ _No, no, no, please gods, no_ _."_  

Jinyoung looked away from him and back down at the lake, but Daehwi was gone. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave a lot of love in the comments here and you can talk to me on Twitter @kangdanielvevo. You can also ask me questions about the fic on curiouscat (curiouscat.me/jinkies), but I won't spoil any important plot points. Or you can just generally ask me questions.


	3. Chapter 3

In Daehwi's opinion, Weapons Training was easily the worst class to have first thing in the morning. The actual weapons part was fun, but before that came an hour-long lecture from the instructor about the history of the weapons they were going to use. Who cared about history when swords and spears gleamed so beautifully in the shelves beside them? 

Daehwi had been especially excited about the weapons they were going to be practicing with that day. Their previous lessons had been about basic strikes with swords, but now they were transitioning to spears. He dropped his head on his desk as his instructor droned on about Ancient Greek phalanx formations and other incredibly uninteresting things. 

The Weapons Training course wasn't helped by the fact that it took place in the outdoor classrooms, which were right outside the indoor classrooms, which meant the sun was completely blocked out by the towering building. And because they were outside, desks had to be set up for the students, but they were uncomfortable and noisy, and had distracting graffiti all over the chipped wood that seemed to be older than Daehwi was. 

Daehwi glanced around. Thick hedges around each of the outdoor "classrooms" were supposed to free the students from the distractions of nature, but no one else in the class seemed to be paying attention either. Most of the others head their heads down on their desks as they slumbered in the cooling shade. Some—especially the students around him—were huddled together, gossiping as was usual at their academy. For a school of only boys, they gossiped a lot. Daehwi wondered how it was at the girls' school at the other campus. 

"You saw him?" One of his classmates whispered to the other. 

"Yeah, it was really bad. There was blood everywhere," Yoo Seonho, one of Daehwi's friends in the class, said. Daehwi turned to the gossipers. 

"What are you guys talking about?" He asked. 

A blond boy that Daehwi didn't know glanced at their instructor before he answered, "Did you hear about what happened to Daniel last week?" Of course he had heard about what happened to Daniel. The whole school was abuzz with the news that the famous Kang Daniel had gotten gravely injured by a manticore while the rest of his team had been killed on a quest that most had thought was going to be a cakewalk for such skilled demigods. Some believed the gods had sabotaged the mission themselves; Daehwi didn't know what to believe. 

Daehwi scooted his desk closer to the boys. "What do you think happened?" 

"It was the gods, of course," Seonho said. "There's no other explanation why so many quests have ended badly when we're being trained better than ever." 

The blond boy bit his lip in thought. "Yeah, it has to be. If someone like Daniel can get so hurt..." He trailed off and stared down at his desk. 

"I think they were cursed by someone," said Lai Kuanlin who sat on the other side of Seonho. He stretched his impossibly long legs out in front of him. "Some people think it was Hecate."  

Suddenly, a boy that sat a few rows away with his head pillowed in his arms looked right at them. When he made eye-contact with Daehwi, the boy immediately averted his gaze. Daehwi was sure he had never seen him before—but then again he had only been at the academy for three months. 

He nudged Seonho. "Who is that?" Daehwi whispered, pointing his chin toward the unfamiliar boy. 

Seonho's eyes followed Daehwi's line of sight. "Oh, that's Bae Jinyoung, son of Hecate," he answered. 

"Hecate? The goddess of magic?"  _A sorceress,_ Daehwi thought. He was almost out of his seat as he leaned closer to Seonho. "What do you know about him?" 

Seonho shrugged. "Not much. He doesn't speak." 

"To you?" 

"To anyone," Seonho said. 

"He has no friends at school?" 

The other boy thought for a moment. "I think he has a half-brother who's in Seconds, but I don't think I've ever seen them interact," he replied. "Jinyoung hasn't been at the school long, so I think he mostly keeps to himself." 

"How long has he been here?" Daehwi asked. 

"A little over three months. I remember Minhyun talking about the day he nearly drowned in the lake. They found him there," Seonho said. 

Daehwi sat back in his seat in disbelief. Three months? That meant he had enrolled around the same time as Daehwi. He looked back at the boy and studied him. His face was small like a child's and his eyes were closed; his lips were parted slightly as he let out steady breaths and, as he slept, Daehwi was reminded of paintings he had seen of cherubs. Daehwi wondered if he was really the infamous "Son of the Sorceress" his mother told him to find. 

The instructor clapped loudly twice which snapped everyone's attention to the front of the room. Bae Jinyoung awoke slowly and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. He looked around the room in confusion and caught Daehwi staring at him. Daehwi felt his face heat up with embarrassment at being caught, but gave him a smile that Jinyoung did not return. 

The instructor walked over to the shelves where their weapons for the day were held and started explaining the difference between the spears used as projectiles and the ones used as melee weapons, but the students stared hungrily at the weapons with which they were soon allowed to play. Even Daehwi found himself thinking about when he was going to get his hands on one. As if he could tell, their instructor sighed and told them they could start practicing, and the boys bolted out of their seats. 

* * *

Lee Daehwi was staring at him. 

Everyone knew Daehwi. The boy had only been at the academy for three months like Jinyoung, but he had already reached the higher ranks on the ranking board—which was a feat for a son of Aphrodite. The Love Goddesses' sons weren't known for much other than their good looks and charming personalities, but Daehwi had proven himself to be one of the most pragmatic students at the school.  

He had been watching Jinyoung for about 20 minutes, and Jinyoung didn't know why. Whenever he would catch Daehwi staring, Daehwi's cheeks would tint pink, but he wouldn't look away, so Jinyoung would look away first. He wondered if it had to do with the time that they had seen each other when Kang Daniel had returned from his quest. Maybe he had planned on asking Jinyoung to keep quiet about his meeting with that goddess who had been acting strangely. Rumors traveled quickly at their school, but as far as he had been aware, only Jinyoung had witnessed the two of them. Jinyoung had a terrible thought that maybe Daehwi had something to do with what happened to Daniel. 

Jinyoung chose instead to focus on class and stared at the intimidating weapons that lay in front of him. The other students had clumped together in groups and had already started sparring with each other with tip-less spears. The instructor had said something about the ones used for defense and the ones used for offense, but Jinyoung had been barely listening and blindly grabbed one. He gripped the wooden shaft with one hand and nearly dropped it on his feet, surprised at just how heavy it was; it had to be 6 metres tall and weigh several kilograms. Jinyoung glanced around the classroom and noticed the rest of them were working with spears that were shorter and lighter. As quietly as he could, he placed the weapon back with two hands and searched for something easier. 

He had settled on a spear that was only about 2 metres long that he could hold securely with one hand. It had an iron tip and a bronze rear-spike since Jinyoung had no interest in sparring with the other students; it was not like any of them would want to practice with him either. He held the spear overhand and prepared to throw it like he had seen in the movies, when he had heard tittering behind him. Jinyoung was about to put the weapon back when someone came up behind him and grabbed his arm. 

"No, not like that." He turned his head to see the smiling face of Lee Daehwi. "It's not a projectile. This spear is for melee attacks," Daehwi said, and took the spear out of his hand. He repositioned the weapon and steadied him, standing dangerously close. Jinyoung couldn't breathe. "Here, you have to hold it like this." His hand moved up from Jinyoung's elbow to his wrist to change how he was holding the spear. "You can stab with more force that way." 

Jinyoung could only stare at him dumbly and almost dropped the spear in the dirt at his feet. If Daehwi noticed his reaction, he didn't comment on it, choosing to instead to change Jinyoung's standing position by moving his legs with his own. 

"Okay, there," Daehwi said with a satisfied smile on his face. "Now, thrust." 

Jinyoung was still dumbfounded by the entire situation, but did what he said and thrust his spear forward. He felt ridiculous attacking the air in front of him, but Daehwi squealed and clapped a hand on his shoulder. Jinyoung looked at him in wide-eyed confusion. 

"That was—" Jinyoung's voice was hoarse from disuse. He never spoke in class, especially not to a fellow student. He cleared his throat and tried again. "That was good?" 

"That was great! A really great start, Jinyoung," Daehwi said, and he gave him a thumbs up. Jinyoung's chest felt like a volcano in the midst of erupting with burning hot embers dancing under his skin when he heard Daehwi say his name. Had his own name always sounded so beautiful? A name he had heard a million times, so why did it feel like he had never heard it spoken out loud until that very moment? 

Daehwi walked away, but the world seemed to disappear so that Jinyoung could only see him. His smile was embedded in Jinyoung's mind. To say his smile was like the sun would be an insult; it transcended all descriptors. His brown eyes shone with such inviting warmth and Jinyoung wondered if that was the effect of being the son of Aphrodite or if it were just something unique to Daehwi. 

Everyone at the school knew Daehwi from the moment he had enrolled, but Jinyoung himself was just one of the insignificant masses that were made up of the sons of minor gods, nymphs, and gifted mortals. There was no reason for Daehwi to ever speak to him, let alone know his name, but he did. 

Jinyoung didn't bother to hide his disappointment when the instructor called for the end of class. 

* * *

Daehwi's weapons trainer was the one who suggested he watch the simulation battles in the arena that day because most Seconds used spears and shields, in addition to the more familiar short sword and shield combo, and he was overjoyed when he found out he had free time in his schedule at the same time his friend Woojin was doing his simulation. 

By the time Daehwi was seated, the arena was filled with students. The older students' simulations usually occurred later in the day compared to the newer students, so more people came out to watch. Those simulations were a more entertaining spectacle anyway; Daehwi had only watched a Firsts simulation once, but he found it dreadfully boring. The kid had a panic attack before he even stepped out and everyone had to just sit and wait for one of the older boys to calm him down. The entire thing was over in five minutes. 

Students cheered as the two fighters for the day came out. Woojin was in the Advanced Simulations class, so not only were the simulations more realistic, but he was often accompanied by another student. His partner for the day was Park Jihoon, a fellow Seconds. 

Daehwi watched the two of them carefully. Daehwi had always made friends easily and when Youngmin had introduced him to Woojin, the two of them had hit it off almost right away. Woojin was shy at first, but he quickly warmed up to him and showed his playful side. Daehwi didn't know much about Park Jihoon, but he always looked so serious like he only focused on his studies, and Daehwi didn't know how someone like Woojin could be friends with someone like that, but they were said to be very close. Even as they stepped out into the center of the arena, Woojin was smiling and waving at the crowd while Jihoon kept his expression controlled. 

Both boys were wearing their standard bronze armor. Jihoon held a bident in his right hand. It was made entirely out of metal, aside from the leather grips, and had two curved, razor-sharp prongs at the top. The weapon was taller than him, but he wielded it confidently. On his left hip was a dagger, which surprised Daehwi. Only the biggest, strongest students at their school fought with a dagger, but Jihoon was more on the petite side. Woojin stood next to him holding a bronze reflective shield with his right arm, a short sword on his left hip, and a helm in his left hand. Daehwi knew that helm well; it was a helm of invisibility that Woojin had been given after he successfully completed his first quest. It was a smart move bringing the helm; the advanced class didn't know what monster they would face before their simulations, so they had to prepare for anything. 

A buzzer went off signaling the start of the simulation and everyone in the audience leaned forward in anticipation for the monster to shimmer into view. The first thing to appear was the setting of their simulation. Woojin and Jihoon found themselves standing in the middle of a wet forest with densely packed trees. Daehwi could smell the damp wood from his seat and marveled at how realistic the simulations were. Screens hovered above the arena to show everyone the action within the trees. 

Daehwi gasped as a gorgon shimmered into view behind them. He had only seen pictures of them in books, but the simulation looked even more hideous. It was round-faced and flat-nosed with protruding eyes and an unnaturally long gray tongue that lolled out between large protruding teeth. Its skin was scarred and rotted, and the emerald green snakes in its hair glimmered in the sun as they slithered and snapped at the boys. Woojin and Jihoon exchanged glances, nodded, and then darted out of the way of the creature. 

Watching them battle, Daehwi thought he had their battle strategy figured out—Jihoon was on offensive and actively attacked the monster while Woojin was on the defensive and pushed it back with his shield when things got a little too dangerous—so it had come as a shock when Woojin suddenly struck it with his sword. They had switched roles effortlessly; the shield slipped from Woojin's hands to Jihoon's, and Woojin grabbed hold of the bident before thrusting it into the gorgon's back. The weapon glowed with combustive flame and the gorgon cried out in pain. It whipped its head around to face him, but Woojin dropped his gaze before he jumped out of its reach. 

Now that they had exchanged roles, Jihoon was the one who took in their surroundings and reacted quietly, keeping the defense, as Woojin went for the offense attacks. Jihoon had the helm of invisibility and popped in and out of view to distract the monster's ferocious snakes, and Woojin dealt with the gorgon while he avoided looking at its face—since even the simulation gorgons could turn people into stone, even if the effects were temporary. 

They moved around each other fluidly, telling each other where to go and what to do next without words. Daehwi watched in awe. Woojin's eyes darted to the right and Jihoon somehow understood that meant he was going to strike left. Jihoon would scrunch his face up and Woojin knew that meant it was the perfect time to attack. It was like a dance performance. Daehwi was so caught up that he hadn't noticed he had been holding his breath until he began feeling lightheaded. 

Sweat poured down the boys' faces as the fight continued. There were a few moments where it looked like one of them was going to be defeated by the monster, but the other would come to their rescue. Dark clouds began to form in the sky overhead as the gorgon advanced on Woojin after he had fallen. His eyes were behind it and he held the bident in front of him. Without warning, he darted to the side which surprised the monster. 

Jihoon, who had been wearing the helm and was, therefore, invisible, crept up behind it and knocked it down with the shield. Daehwi watched as he came into view and thrust the edge of the shield into the gorgon's neck. The monster screeched as Jihoon brought out his knife and, with quickfire strikes, plunged it repeatedly into the wound the shield had created until the head of the monster fell right off. The snakes in its hair stopped rattling and hung limply around the head. It was gruesome, especially the way the simulation gorgon's blood spilled out on the dirt and the smell of burning metal filled the air, but it was to prepare them for the real thing. 

The audience roared in their seats. The forest disappeared and the boys were standing alone with the dead gorgon at their feet. Several students jumped up and down at their victory. Daehwi watched as Jihoon and Woojin turned to each other and hugged before wiping the sweat off their faces. Jihoon grabbed the decapitated head and held it up, making sure not to make the eyes face the audience, and the crowd cheered louder. 

As they celebrated, Daehwi noticed how ominously the dark clouds swirled above them. He began feeling lightheaded again and was taking deep breaths when a loud thunderclap made him jolt out of his seat. The audience instantly went quiet and stared at the sky. It was only the afternoon, but sky outside the topless arena was dark like it was the middle of the night. Daehwi looked down at where Woojin was standing to see that he was looking right at him. 

Lightning struck the inside of the arena just a few feet from where students were sitting and everybody screamed. " _Get out! Get out!_ " Daehwi thought he heard someone yell, but as more and more lightning strikes fell around them, he felt they didn't have to be told twice. As he ran, he looked down to see Jihoon had dropped the gorgon head in his stead and it dissolved into a CD which promptly broke under the heel of Woojin's foot. 

* * *

Jinyoung had gathered as everyone else had done in the school's courtyard and looked up at the sky which had become too dark for the afternoon. Storm spirits gathered in multitude under deep gray clouds, and lightning pierced through them. Students whispered to each other around Jinyoung and he could only catch glimpses of conversation through all the noise of thunder and the howling winds: 

"It must be Zeus." 

"…after what happened to Daniel..." 

"...didn't Jaehwan say..." 

"...even Sewoon's group had to come back early..." 

"...the ones left in Olympus..." 

Jinyoung started to feel nauseous as the storm raged on. Shades appeared in front of him; he recognized some as former students, but there were others among them, even women and young children. Usually, shades just appeared to him when they were passing through to go to the Underworld, but the ones around him turned to look at him directly. Their shadowed faces looked menacing as they advanced on him, surrounding him. His heart raced and he began to feel dizzy. The shades moved closer and Jinyoung pressed his back against the brick exterior of the dormitory, both to move away from them and to steady himself. He shivered as the air around him got colder and colder; it was like he was on top of a mountain and he struggled to catch his breath. 

In the midst of his panic, Jinyoung saw a large, black dog with yellow eyes at the entrance of the Deep Forest. It was watching him. As the shades drew closer, its eyes seemed to get more intense. A lightning strike hit a nearby tree and set it ablaze; the shades that surrounded Jinyoung disappeared instantly in a cloud of black smoke. He could vaguely hear students screaming and the faculty yelling at everyone to get inside the dorms, but his attention was focused on the dog. The animal held his gaze for a moment before it turned and disappeared into the forest. Students pushed past him on their way into the dorm building, but Jinyoung had somewhere else he needed to be. He quietly made his way through the mass of panicking students until he felt a hand on his arm. Jinyoung froze and looked to see Daehwi holding onto him, his eyes full of concern. Before either could say anything, another student pushed Daehwi forward and separated the two. Jinyoung ignored the mixture of relief and disappointment that filled his body as he watched Daehwi move further and further away from him, and he turned back to the forest. He took a quick glance to ensure that he wasn't being watched, and then ran into the forest after the dog.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is a much shorter chapter. I removed a lot from it and transplanted them to other chapters, so this one ended up being shorter than I intended.
> 
> Also, is the story itself too long? I'm sorry it's taking so long for the actual love story start, and there's a lot of Greek Mythology stuff beforehand. I was really tentative about posting this at all since the fandom seemed to be more into romantic AUs than action-packed ones. I'm sorry if these chapters are a lot less about Jinhwi together than people expected it to be. Just tell me what you think in the comments. I just want people to read the damn thing lol. I swear most of the hits this thing gets come from me obsessively re-reading it to make sure I didn't make a mistake somewhere.
> 
> As always, you can tweet me @kangdanielvevo or talk to me on curiouscat.me/jinkies. Thanks for reading!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning for descriptions of violence (to a human and a dog), including mentions of blood and other gory things. Also, warning for what could be considered verbal abuse from a parent. If Classical mythology has taught us anything, it's that the gods are dicks.

Jinyoung pushed past the dense thicket as he ran deeper and deeper into the forest. He could no longer see the dog, but he could sense her.  _Or maybe it's not her but…_ , Jinyoung let his thoughts trail off. No, it couldn't be. After all the months he had spent alone at the academy, there was no reason for her to show up now. He remembered the shades that he had seen. It couldn't have been a coincidence.  

The nymphs had disappeared into their trees—most likely in fear due to the lightning strikes—and the forest was dark and empty. The path got narrower and narrower until it was impossible to get through. Jinyoung had only been past the entrance of the Deep Forest once before because it was forbidden to all students from the boys' school. There was also an entrance from the girls' campus and they would sometimes hunt within the forest as a sort of school trip with the goddess Artemis, but there were no gods who wished to go on hunting trips with the boys. The gods didn't want to do much with the boys except have them die in battle for them. 

Suddenly, there was no path and Jinyoung came to a complete stop. Thick branches clumped together to block his way, hugging close together in an unnatural way—so unnatural that he wondered if it were, in fact, the work of the nymphs to prevent him from going any further. He turned to return to the school and there was another clump of branches in his way, intertwined and unmovable. Jinyoung knew the stories of what the nymphs did to boys that went too deep into the forest. He didn't know how he would be able to explain himself if people found him days or even weeks or months later, rendered delirious due to the tricks of the nature spirits.  

Jinyoung took a deep breath, knowing he had to take action or else he would be stuck there until the nymphs decided to be merciful. He cleared his mind the best he could, trying to ignore how the storm raged on above him, and pressed his palms against the wall of branches in front of him. He couldn't go back to the school; the dog had appeared for a reason. He could still sense the dog nearby. She had gone still and was waiting for him.  

"I'm so sorry about this," Jinyoung said to the trees as he envisioned fire. His hands stung painfully as flames danced across his skin and he made a mental note to learn how to make  _himself_ fireproof. The branches recoiled as they were burned by his fire and Jinyoung tried to ignore the pang of guilt he felt deep in his stomach. In class, they had taught him that nymphs felt all damage that had been done to their trees. He was the one trespassing in their home, but it was a necessary evil. When the branches had separated enough for him to see the other side, he pushed through more harshly than he had intended, cringing as he heard the branches snap under his weight. 

On the other side of the now-destroyed branch wall lay Hestia's cabin. Jinyoung walked up to it gingerly. It was small and cozy, made entirely out of logs, and glowed in the darkness like a beacon in a storm. The wind had been ferocious and bitterly cold, but the air around the cabin was warm and welcoming. At the academy, there were some that didn't believe the cabin existed at all. There were some who claimed to have successfully gone through the forest to the other side and swore they hadn't once bumped into the goddess' cabin. Jinyoung reached out and pressed his hand against the rough exterior; he was surprised to find that the wood was warm to the touch. 

He sensed her before he saw her, but by that time, it was too late. The black dog pounced on him as he was distracted by the cabin and pinned him down to the ground. The impact knocked every wisp of air from his lungs, and he laid there, struggling to breathe, as the dog tried to bite his face off. A strangled cry came out from his throat. The dog—a female, black as the night with peculiar silver markings above her eyes; it was a dog Jinyoung knew well—snarled and snapped her teeth at him. He put his arm up to block her attacks, but she sunk her teeth into his flesh. Jinyoung cried out. 

Magic. He needed to use magic. It was another test, albeit a quite violent one, but the answer was clearly magic. The dog slashed his face with her giant paw and he felt warm blood spill from his cheek. Jinyoung knew he had to focus, but that was no easy task in his situation. He pushed the dog away from him with as much force as he could, using his hands to shove her face away, and tried to sit up, but she leapt and slammed him down once again. 

"Please," he said, "I don't want to hurt you." The dog's eyes glowed in the surrounding darkness. She tilted her head as if to say " _Hurt me? You?_ " He cried out in pain as she brought her teeth down on his chin and bit off a chunk of his face. In the sky, he could still see flashes of lightning between dark clouds. He couldn't believe it was still the same day; it felt like an eternity had passed between his day at school and the torture he was going through.  

Jinyoung knew he couldn't formulate a well-enough thought to do whatever spell he was supposed to do, so he just pushed his hand out and willed his body to do something—anything. The dog yelped as she was launched several metres back by an unseen force. Jinyoung's triumph was short-lived when he saw her scramble to her feet and gear up for another attack. She leapt at him again, but this time, he was more prepared; as the dog was in the air, he sent a wave of white-hot energy at her. She let out a gargled cry that ripped at his heart. 

Jinyoung braced himself for another attack, but found there was none. He stood slowly and staggered over to where the dog laid on her back. Her large body twitched in pain and her fur had burned off in several places, exposing the bloodied pink skin underneath. His heart ached. 

"I didn't want to hurt you," he said to her; his face was wet as his blood mixed with the tears he began to spill. The dog let out a low whine. No, he thought. He could heal her. He knew how. His mother had taught him. A lump formed in his throat as he thought about his mother. What would she think? Was this even her test in the first place? 

Jinyoung sank into the grass beside the dog and placed his hands over the left side of her face where his magic had completely burned away the flesh. Her teeth were exposed and bleeding, and Jinyoung sobbed over her, silently apologizing for the pain he had inflicted.  _It's not_ _her fault_ , Jinyoung told himself.  _She doesn't know any better._   

His fingers tingled as he healed her. At some point among the darkness of the stormy skies, the sun had made way for the moon, and Jinyoung felt the usual sluggish sensation that came with the depletion of his powers. There wasn't much he could do in the night, but he could make her slightly more comfortable. 

Suddenly, it was like he had been hit by a hairy bullet. The dog jumped up so quickly that he hadn't a moment to react and she continued her assault on his face. Jinyoung pushed her back with his magic, using so much force that he actually smelled the fur as it singed off. He got ready to attack her again when a blinding light filled his vision. 

He shielded his eyes and cried out in pain at the sudden brightness, but he knew who it was. There was no other explanation for that specific dog showing up at his school. There was no other explanation for the sudden attack. There was no other explanation for his need to use magic against her. 

Hecate stood over him in her singular form. Jinyoung was almost relieved that it was just her instead of the three women that represented the goddess. She was nicer in her singular form, at least usually; for a single moment, she looked like the woman who had cared for and loved him his entire life. 

"Hecuba," she commanded, "Come here." The black dog trotted to her side and his mother kneeled beside her companion. She examined her wounds carefully and then, with such gentleness that Jinyoung ached to be touched the same way by her, she healed Hecuba's wounds. The dog's black fur regrew over healed wounds and the blood disappeared. She turned to face her son and Jinyoung recoiled in fear—for her face was twisted with a mixture of disgust and anger. "You are too tender-hearted. Enemies will use that to their advantage." 

He struggled to his feet, ignoring the protest from his aching muscles. "I didn't want to hurt her!" 

"Did you think you would kill her?  _You?"_ Her silver eyes did not gleam with a comforting familiarity, but glowed with a burning hot intensity that Jinyoung felt like he had been burned with metal.  _"_ You who couldn't destroy a miniature gorgon with anything other than a large book?" 

Jinyoung swallowed thickly. "You—" he said, "You saw that?" 

His mother moved to strike him and would've done so had he not shuffled away from her. "Of course I saw! I see all!" Hecate's eyes blazed. "You foolish boy, it has already begun and you are nowhere near ready." 

Jinyoung's heart drummed in his ears. "What has begun?" He asked carefully, fearful of another attack from her. 

"Foolish, foolish boy. Many will die because of you," Hecate spat. Each syllable of her words stabbed at him and he felt his eyes begin to burn. He cast his eyes to the ground as his tears fell. He had nothing he could say to her. He had failed her. His greatest, most caring teacher, and the one time she needed him to succeed—to improve—he had failed her. His tears dripped down to the ground. 

Jinyoung didn't see his mother leave, but he felt the emptiness of the forest when she disappeared, and left him aching and alone—hurt in more ways than one. 

* * *

Daehwi joined the other students for a special announcement in the courtyard. Everyone expected the announcement; the King of the Gods can't just cause an electrical storm over their campus without someone explaining exactly what was going on. Thankfully the storm had moved from right over their heads, but Daehwi could still see the dark clouds and flashes of lightning in the distance. It was so unnatural that even mortals would've questioned the peculiarity of the weather. 

Because classes had been cancelled due to Zeus' tantrum, the students in the courtyard wore more comfortable clothes; there were students in sweatpants, sweatshirts, jackets—Daehwi even spotted a few pajamas even though it was already noon—as they stood in formation waiting for the announcement from Kwon Boa, daughter of Zeus and the school's representative. She was in her thirties, but her youthful face and petite frame made her look younger. 

Daehwi had heard many stories about her. She had gone on her first quest when she was only 13; it had ended disastrously but she had worked hard and had many successful quests afterwards. Not only that, but she had trained at the academy before the sexes had been separated and was not only the youngest person to go on a quest, but was also one of the first females to do so at the school. It was because of her that the academy had decided to focus more on training young girls to be heroes and created a school specifically for them. Her statue stood in the Field of Legends of both the girls' campus and the boys'. Daehwi greatly admired her. 

Boa stood on the temporary stage that had been set up and behind her were the second and third highest ranked students at the school, Kim Jonghyun and Hwang Minhyun. The edges of Daehwi's mouth twitched downward as he thought about the highest ranked student, Kang Daniel, who was still recovering in the infirmary. Thinking about the older boy missing from the announcement made him think of Bae Jinyoung. Daehwi had seen the boy running toward the Deep Forest during the storm, but when Daehwi had looked for him in the dorms, he couldn't find him. Even at that moment, as Daehwi searched through the crowd of students in the courtyard, Jinyoung was nowhere to be seen. Daehwi gnawed at his bottom lip in worry. Surely, the other boy wasn't dumb enough to try to navigate the forest on his own? There were always boys who claimed to have made their way through the forest with no trouble, but Daehwi knew of several students who ended up in the infirmary in terrible conditions after dealing with the mischievous nature spirits, so it was hard to believe their tales. 

"Daehwi! Over here!" Daehwi's head snapped up to see Woojin waving at him from deep within the crowd. Thoughts of missing boys melted away as Daehwi made his way to his friend with a wide smile on his face. Woojin smiled back as Daehwi stood next to him, exposing all his teeth including the one snaggletooth on the side for which he was quite known. Next to him was Park Jihoon who hadn't acknowledged his presence, but instead kept his attention on the stage where Boa had already started talking. Woojin poked Jihoon in the side. "Jihoon, you know Daehwi, right?" 

"We've never been formally introduced," Jihoon said coolly, not giving Daehwi anything other than the view of his profile as he continued to watch the stage. Irritation bubbled up Daehwi's chest. He still didn't understand how Woojin could be friends with a person like that. Jihoon was a ferocious fighter and one of the higher ranked students, but his personality seemed to be of someone who thought he was a lot more important than he actually was. Woojin was about to say something when Boa's voice cut through their conversation. 

"From what we were able to gather from the messenger gods Hermes and Iris, Olympus is currently in disorder due to the disappearance of Hera and Aphrodite." Daehwi's blood froze at Boa's words.  _Disappearance of Hera and Aphrodite_. His mother hadn't been paranoid at all. Daehwi strained his neck to get a better view of the stage. Behind him, there were snickers from the crowd. The crowd of boys buzzed with commentary. 

"Why should we care?" Someone shouted which caused more laughs.  

"Good riddance to bad rubbish." 

"Hera and Aphrodite. The most annoying goddesses." Daehwi frowned; he wasn't the biggest fan of his mother, but he didn't like hearing her be so blatantly insulted, especially when she was in trouble. A hand squeezed his own and Daehwi looked down, startled, until he saw it was Woojin. The tight knot that had formed in the pit of his stomach began to loosen. Daehwi gave the other boy an appreciative smile and turned his attention back to the stage. Boa had stopped talking; she looked displeased at the boys' attitude. 

Right behind Daehwi, an older boy mumbled, "Hephaestus probably kidnapped them to get back at them for being so mean to him since he's so ugly." 

Daehwi felt Woojin stiffen beside him. Woojin turned to glare at the rude student. "Hephaestus didn’t do anything. But if he did, they probably deserved it." 

The older boy grinned cruelly at Woojin. "They should've thrown Hephaestus all the way down to Tartarus with the other ugly monsters," he said, much louder this time, and the boys around them tittered. 

"They should've done that to Ares," said a smaller boy behind them. "He's Zeus' least favorite child, anyway. Anything he can do, Athena can do better." 

The older boy who started the argument pulled out a knife from his jacket pocket and played with the menacing-looking blade. "You've got a death wish, kid? Because I'm about to make all your dreams come true." The small boy's eyes widened at the knife and he sunk back, but someone behind them pushed forward hard, making them all fall. The knife-wielding student stood, shaking with anger, and Daehwi watched as his hard fist came in contact with the pusher's face. From the stage, Boa watched in horror as things devolved into chaos with people shouting and fighting. 

Daehwi was jostled in the ensuing fight and fell to the ground. He felt someone grab his arm and tug him away from the heart of the violence. Daehwi looked up, expecting to see Woojin, and was surprised when he saw it was Park Jihoon who pulled him further away from the fighters. Woojin was on their heels as the trio made their way closer to the stage. 

"T-thank you," Daehwi said when he had finally steadied himself on both feet. A ghost of a smile appeared on Jihoon's lips, but he said nothing. 

" _Enough!_ " Minhyun shouted from the stage. " _Stop fighting this instant._ " As if a spell had been cast over the courtyard, all the fighting ceased immediately. Daehwi felt a familiar sensation. It was like something was buzzing beside his ear, but it wasn't annoying; in fact, it was almost pleasant. He felt lighter and calmer—more agreeable. Beside him, Jihoon bit back a smirk.  

Minhyun stepped forward and everyone's attention was on him. "Olympus is in discord right now, so we should not be fighting among ourselves. No matter how you feel about the goddesses, their presences in Olympus are not only important to the balance of the heavens, but of the whole world as well." Daehwi smiled; he spoke with such authority that it was clear why he had been given the nickname Emperor Minhyun. "My father has tasked me with rescuing the goddesses and it will be the only quest out of this school until things are back in order." 

The crowd murmured with excitement at the mention of the formation of another quest with the legendary Hwang Minhyun. Jonghyun and Boa behind him laughed lightly at the reaction, but Minhyun was stony-faced and serious. "I will be picking my team on Friday. That means you have two days to come to me if you wish to join," he said sternly. "And I will not be picking anyone who starts fights." Daehwi saw Woojin and Jihoon exchange glances. 

After Minhyun's speech, Boa dismissed the students and they dispersed with more energy than they had started the day with. Daehwi knew everyone would be vying for a spot on the quest team and, as he watched Minhyun and Jonghyun talk in low tones at the side of the stage, he knew he had to join too. 

* * *

Jinyoung watched the announcement from the lake. The nymphs had kicked him out of the forest when the day broke and—not wishing to return to his dorm and be around the other students—he had chosen to spend the day wandering along the lake to clear his head. The naiads hadn't done so much as glance at him. 

His mother's words haunted him: 

 _Many will die because of you_. 

Her words were usually cryptic, but there was nothing cryptic about that. He had to improve his skills. He needed to. He couldn't be the catalyst for the destruction of others. He couldn't hear the announcement well from his position at the bottom of the hill, but he heard that Hera and Aphrodite were missing, and there was to be a quest. 

Jinyoung started his ascent through the Field of Legends. His body still throbbed painfully from the previous night's assault. At some point while he slept in the forest, Hestia's servant girls must've found him outside of her cabin because when he awoke, he had been cleaned up and bandaged. He was still in excruciating pain, but he knew if he went to the infirmary looking for ambrosia, they would have questions about how he got so injured in the first place, and Jinyoung didn't want to deal with that. 

He stared in awe at all the statues in the Field. The rows of marble figures seemed to be endless. There was to be a quest—a Minhyun quest—and Jinyoung knew that new statues were going to be added to the collection. He stopped in front of one of the statues he had seen many times. A 17-year old Hwang Minhyun stood with his same-aged friends Kim Jonghyun, Kang Dongho, Choi Minki, and their slightly older friend Kwak Aaron. The quintet had only been at the academy for a year when they had been given the task of dealing with a chimera that had been terrorizing the school. According to the stories Jinyoung had heard, most people thought the boys were dead for sure, so it came as such a shock when the boys had returned with the body of the dead chimera. 

Many of the younger students looked up to the members of that team while the older students highly respected them and befriended them. Jinyoung wondered if he would ever be able to experience the love and respect from his fellow students like Minhyun. He stepped up to the marble figure; Minhyun's statue was only slightly taller than he was, but Jinyoung felt like he was staring at something several metres tall. His stomach twisted.  _Of course,_ _I'll never experience that_ , he told himself. That sort of experience was for heroes, and he was no hero. 

Jinyoung's eyes fell to his feet and he left the Field of Legends feeling despondent. 

* * *

Daehwi had been ruminating his decision for hours. He wasn't thinking about the decision to join the quest—he had already made his mind up about that—but instead wondering how he was going to tell his friends. 

He laid on Woojin's bed with his feet up on the wall. Youngmin was helping Woojin with an assignment from one of the many history classes that Seconds students had to take; they were waiting for Donghyun to return with food from the farms Demeter's children tended. Winter was coming and Daehwi knew Donghyun was busy getting ready for the months of barren fields that came with it. 

Daehwi tapped his feet on the wall as the two other boys sat across from him at Woojin's desk. The room was small, as were all the dorm rooms because they were all single rooms with a single bed, a desk, and an armoire for their clothes. He studied Woojin's peeling wallpaper for a moment before he said, "So, about the quest..." 

Youngmin laughed. "Oh, no, not you, too. Everyone's been talking about the quest. Since it's the only one going out of the school  _and_ a team created by Minhyun, people can't shut up about it." 

 _It's now or never_ , Daehwi decided. "I want to join the team." The duo fell silent; Daehwi turned his head and saw them staring at him in wide-eyed shock. "What?" 

Youngmin rose from his seat and walked over to him. "Daehwi, you're too young," he said. "Plus, you've only been at the school for a little over three months." 

"I've already made my mind up." 

"It's too dangerous," the older boy asserted. Woojin stayed seated and silent. 

Daehwi sat up and planted his feet on the ground. "It's something I have to do." 

"You don't have to do anything at this point in your life except study hard." 

Daehwi hesitated, eyes bouncing between Youngmin and Woojin's concerned faces, and then said, "I never told you guys the reason I came to this school." 

It took him nearly an hour to tell them everything about Aphrodite's initial visit to his old school, the attack at the café months ago, and his mother's strange behavior the day Daniel appeared in the courtyard. Donghyun had arrived midway with a basket of fresh bread and fruit and Daehwi had been forced to tell the story all over again. He took a breath when he was done and looked up at his friends. 

Donghyun sat next to him and wrapped his arms around him. "You went through so much. I can't believe you fought an empousa all on your own," he said, and pressed Daehwi's face against his chest. "You must've been so scared." 

Daehwi shrugged. "It wasn't that bad." 

"Still," Youngmin interjected, "Minhyun's quest is too dangerous. The gods aren't willing to help us anymore. We're trained well, but we still need them." He turned to Woojin to back him up, but Woojin stayed quiet. 

Daehwi sat up straight and pulled Donghyun's arms off from around him. He crossed his arms defiantly. "I've made my mind up. I have to do this for my mom. It's the mission she gave me," he said, looking Youngmin right in the eyes. 

Youngmin sighed. "Just take some time to think about it. Spend all of tomorrow thinking long and hard about it because if you are picked to go..." He trailed off and gave Daehwi a worried look. Daehwi nodded. Youngmin let out another breath and got to his feet. "Donghyun and I should be going. Thirds and Fourths have a meeting in the dining hall." 

Woojin looked up at him. "About what?" 

"It's big boy business," Youngmin said and playfully ruffled Woojin's hair. "No minors allowed." Donghyun and Youngmin laughed as they left the room with the two younger boys watching them as they went. 

When they were finally gone and the door was closed behind them, Woojin turned to Daehwi. "I want to go on the quest too," he whispered to the other boy. 

"Really?" 

Woojin nodded, which made his messy hair sway in the air. "Yeah, Jihoon and I have been talking about it all day. We already went to see Minhyun. Lots of other boys want to join too, but I think the two of us have a really good chance of being picked." 

Daehwi felt a knot forming in his stomach as Woojin's words brought up something he hadn't even considered. "How many students do you think have already gone to see him today?" 

"Maybe close to half of the school? Like Youngmin said, it's the only quest going out and it's a Minhyun quest. As long as we save the goddesses and most of us come back alive, we'll for sure end up in the Field of Legends." 

 _Half of the school_. Daehwi jumped from his seat. "I have to go," he said and he rushed toward the door. 

"Why?" Woojin demanded. "It's already late. Where you going?" 

Daehwi ran out and said over his shoulder, "I have to go see Minhyun!" 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave a comment saying how you felt about the chapter! And for everyone who has left a comment here or sent me a message on twitter (@kangdanielvevo), thank you so much. You really do encourage me to write more. Hope you're all liking the story so far :)


	5. Chapter 5

Jinyoung rubbed a hand over his face as he took groggy steps toward the courtyard. It was strange not having classes or a need to wake up early in the morning and his body hadn't gotten used to it yet. It didn't know whether to sleep in the morning or night, so it compromised by making him tired at all hours of the day.  

The sun had decided to make an appearance and bore down on him, making him uncomfortable in his oversized sweatshirt, and he felt even more tired. Zeus' storm had ended and the sky was a clear, cloudless blue. There was a gentle breeze that rustled the leaves and birds sang happily from their homes in the trees. While the other students were excited at the prospect of being chosen for Minhyun's team, Jinyoung could think of a thousand other things he would rather do with his time on such a beautiful day, and right at the top of the list was sleep.  

Jinyoung picked a spot in the courtyard far from the stage which, unfortunately, gave him a direct view of the ranking board. It had been weeks since he had last checked, so the list had changed, but the top ranks had stayed the same. He saw his name flash by: 97. BAE JINYOUNG, SON OF HECATE; FIRSTS. Jinyoung sighed and looked anywhere but at the board. In the sea of students focused on the stage, he spotted one looking at him from near the front: Daehwi.  

Daehwi was staring at him.  

Again.  

Jinyoung had made sure to carefully conceal his bandaged limbs and a mask hid his bruised face. He was enough of a non-entity at the school that no one would question his peculiar wardrobe in the middle of such a warm autumn day, but Daehwi's gaze made him feel like the other boy knew exactly what he was hiding. He  _had_  seen him go into the forest, but Jinyoung was sure Daehwi didn't know he didn't spend the night at the dorms after that. In his nearly four months at the academy, Jinyoung felt like Daehwi was the only person in the entire school who actually saw him.  

Daehwi noticed Jinyoung's eyes on him and he smiled at him. His smile was so bright it seemed to be in direct competition with every other light in the world, and Jinyoung couldn't believe that smile was directed at him. Jinyoung averted his eyes and stared down at his feet. There was a tightness in his chest that he didn't understand and attributed to his injuries.  

The crowd cheered and Jinyoung looked up to see Minhyun entering the stage. He wore formal clothing and stood tall like a proud soldier; there were many that compared Minhyun to emperors, but in that moment, with the sunlight surrounding him as he stood alone on the high stage, he looked like a god. Jinyoung wouldn't have been surprised if he were made immortal and taken to Olympus upon his death like Hercules.  

As per usual for quests, Minhyun made a short speech explaining the mission and the expected timeframe, but based on the chatter from the crowd, no one was really listening; they wanted him to just say who he had chosen already. From the look on his face when he had finished talking, Jinyoung could tell Minhyun knew it too.  

Minhyun took a breath. "Okay, let's start this, shall we?" He gave the crowd a smile and the students cheered in response. The ranking board next to the stage showed a blank white screen. The names of those lucky few chosen for Minhyun's team would show up after he called them out, as well as a picture of their face. Jinyoung yawned and tried to discreetly stretch his limbs. Usually, there was not much of a crowd for the picking of members for a quest, but, as Jinyoung glanced around, he guessed that almost the entire school's population was there. It was mandatory to attend the quest announcements, but students didn't do a lot of things that were mandatory at the academy. Jinyoung considered going back to his room and spending the day sleeping. He glanced around for any faculty that might stop him and saw Daehwi had turned to look at him.  

Again.  

Daehwi's cheeks flushed pink and he hastily turned back to face the front. Jinyoung found himself studying the back of the other boy's head; he was so distracted by the way a few wisps of his hair stuck straight up in the air and swayed in the gentle breeze that he didn't notice that Minhyun had already started calling the names; the crowd roared as Yoon Jisung's name and picture flashed on the ranking board. Jisung clapped for himself as he walked onto the stage, which made the other students laugh. He took his place on the far side of the stage behind Minhyun, and smiled and waved at people in the crowd. Jisung seemed to be friends with everyone at the school; most students had a positive opinion of him and the ones that didn't were too new to actually know who he was. Jisung was a Fourths student and had been at the academy for close to 10 years, which was a feat in itself, so it wasn't at all surprising that Minhyun had chosen him for his team.  

Jinyoung began to feel unbearably hot in his ensemble and tugged at the neck of his sweatshirt. It was damp with his sweat and when he let go of the fabric, it clung to his skin, which made him feel even more stuffy. He suppressed a yawn and watched with bored, tired eyes as Minhyun continued to read off the names.  _Son of Iris, Ha_ _Sungwoon_ _._ Sungwoon practically flew onto the stage; his clear face was mixed with surprise and joy. Jinyoung didn't know if it was his first quest or his first quest with Minhyun, but the boy looked like he couldn't believe he had been selected. There was thunderous applause each time a name was called. Kang Daniel had gotten the loudest and even Jinyoung cheered for him as he watched Daniel limp onto the stage. He had only been released from the infirmary the day before and had a cast on his left hand, but he looked much better than the bloodied body that he had been weeks ago. Jisung and Sungwoon ran over to help him as he struggled and he gave them an appreciative smile. The cheers for him continued even after he had gotten into his place behind Minhyun. Daniel did a fist-bumping dance which made the crowd laugh. Minhyun turned, clapped him on the back, and gave him a small smile.  

Ong Seongwu pretended to cry in an exaggerated manner when his name was called which also caused laughter from the crowd. Even Minhyun cracked up when he walked up to him with one hand on his chest and the other over his mouth. He took his place beside Daniel and slung an arm around his friend's shoulders. Kim Jaehwan ran onto the stage chanting his own name after being called and danced around until both his half-brother Seongwu and Daniel dragged him into the line. Park Jihoon, son of Hermes, was another person who got loud cheers, the loudest being from Lai Kuanlin, son of Poseidon. Jinyoung recalled hearing about how Jihoon saved Kuanlin from the sea-goddess Amphitrite years before Kuanlin had enrolled at the academy and the younger boy had looked up to him ever since. Jinyoung blinked his sleep away as he watched Park Woojin, son of Hephaestus, make his way onto the stage and playfully bump his shoulder against Jihoon's.  

There were gasps every time someone who had never been on a quest before was called. Laughter followed applause when first-time-quest-member Kuanlin was called and his half-brother Yoo Seonho shouted, "Yeah, superstar!" Even in his tired state, Jinyoung couldn't help but join in the celebration. His jaw dropped behind his mask when Daehwi's name was called, but he clapped as wildly as the others as Daehwi made his way onto the stage; his face was tinted pink, but still beautiful in the light of the sun. Jinyoung knew the sons of Aphrodite were renowned for their looks, but Daehwi looked simply ethereal. He stood straight and proud like a real hero. Jinyoung felt the tightness in his chest again and rubbed it absentmindedly.  

Nine demigods stood onstage with Minhyun and he cleared his throat before he read the last name. "Son of Hecate," he started. A few places in front of him, Jinyoung saw a few boys playfully jostle his half-brother Jaechan and Jaechan laughed along with them. Jinyoung didn't know him well; he had never spoken to him and his mother had barely ever mentioned him over the years, but he felt a sense of pride that a son of Hecate had been personally picked by someone people referred to as "The Twin of Athena"—including the goddess herself. Jaechan ran a hand through his hair and Minhyun continued:  

"Son of Hecate, Bae Jinyoung."  

* * *

Daehwi's heart pounded in his chest and sweat broke out on his forehead. Standing on stage in front of nearly the entire school was daunting enough, even if the students had already started to leave after Minhyun had called the last name, but standing under Minhyun's gaze was even more so. He wasn't scared of Minhyun, but it would be a lie to say he wasn't intimidated.  

Minhyun was repeating the details about the quest that he had said earlier, in case they hadn't been listening; Daehwi had to admit—not aloud, of course—that he _hadn't_  actually been listening then. He had been preoccupied with praying to whatever deity that was listening to be picked to join Minhyun's quest. Daehwi's name was the penultimate name called and he nearly fainted with joy.  

Bae Jinyoung's name was the last one called. Daehwi hazarded a glance at the boy who stood next to him. Unlike everyone else on the stage, he was completely covered up with a sweater and mask, and he kept his eyes low on the ground instead of on Minhyun. When his name had been called, the entire crowd had gone silent. Daehwi figured that most students didn't know his name or that Hecate even had a second son at the school. Before the announcement had started, he had searched the ranking board for Jinyoung's name and was surprised to see it in the low 90s. There was only one student lower than him and it was a boy who was the son of a nymph who had only joined the school recently for safety reasons. The boy spent all his time helping out in the farms and gardens, and didn't actually attend any classes.  

Aphrodite's words replayed in his mind:  _There’s something very special about him. He's powerful. He could save the world, but he's scared._ _Just_ _like you_. Daehwi studied Jinyoung closely. Even as covered up as he was, he looked like he was going to simultaneously vomit and pass out. Daehwi didn't understand how someone who was supposedly so powerful could look so fragile, as if he were going to fall apart at any moment. He wanted to hold his hand and give him a reassuring squeeze, or rub his back and tell him everything was going to be okay, but deep inside he knew that wouldn't make a difference. They barely knew each other. Daehwi sighed and looked away, wondering if his mother had made a mistake.  

"We'll be living together for some time before we head off," Minhyun said. "It's important for us to use this time to do some more intensive training to prepare for the mission and to form a strong bond. We are not eleven individuals who happen to be going the same way; we are one team working together toward a single goal. Understood?" The other members nodded. "Good," Minhyun said. "Now, go back to your dorms and pack your things. We will be meeting in the special quest house past the outdoor classroom area in an hour." He broke out into a wide smile. "And congratulations."  

The other boys on stage whooped and Daehwi laughed when he saw Daniel, Seongwu, and Woojin dancing around each other. When Minhyun dismissed them, Daehwi was instantly at his friend's side. Woojin gave him a tight hug and introduced him to Daniel and Seongwu.  

"This is the kid I was telling you about," Woojin said with his arm around Daehwi's shoulder, proudly showing him off to his other friends.  

"You've really only been at the academy for less than four months?" Daniel asked. Daehwi nodded and blushed, looking down at his feet. "Wow, in my first four months, I wasn't even considered for quests, let alone picked for any."  

"Yeah, but that's because you were dreadful at everything in your first four months," Seongwu teased.  

Daniel clutched his chest, taking mock offense. "Insults, Seongwu? I've been dying in the infirmary for weeks and this is how you welcome me back to the world of the living?" He couldn't keep his face straight through the sentence and ended up breaking out into a fit of giggles that Seongwu joined in.  

Woojin shook his head at them and walked away with Daehwi, bidding them goodbye as the other boys continued joking around with each other.  

"Those two could spend the entire day acting silly," Park Jihoon mumbled as he stepped in line with Daehwi and Woojin.  

Woojin grinned. "And you couldn't?"  

"I'm mature!" Jihoon scoffed.  

"I'm mature," Woojin mocked back. Jihoon punched him in the arm—playfully, but Daehwi saw Woojin wince. "Anyways,  _Mr. Mature_ , are you excited for another quest together? We haven't been on a quest together since the Kuanlin and Seonho one. I can't believe how long ago that was."  

Daehwi was silent as the other two boys reminisced about their past adventure while they walked back to their dorm building. He sensed someone behind him and glanced back to see Jinyoung trailing behind them with his head down. Daehwi wanted to call out to him, but Woojin poked his side to get his attention.  

"What?" Daehwi asked, distracted.  

"I said do you want to go to the dining hall to grab something to eat first? I haven't eaten all day."  

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Daehwi said, his mind on Jinyoung. When he turned his head to look at the boy again, Jinyoung had disappeared.  

* * *

Jinyoung wanted to run into the Deep Forest. Even if he didn't make it to Hestia's cabin, he was fine with the nymphs imprisoning him there for months; honestly, he would've been thankful if they did. He had been standing outside the entrance of the forest for what had felt like hours. Of course, no one had noticed him there—they never did. Students walked by on their way to the courtyard or the dorm building and went right by him, not giving the boy having a mental breakdown in front of the forest even a glance. That's why it was so shocking that he had been chosen for the quest.  

When Minhyun said his name, it had gone so quiet that one could hear a pin drop. Jinyoung thought it was all in his head, but the lack of movement from the other students and the confused looks on their faces told him that it was real. No one was applauding. No one was cheering. No one was even looking at him. Not one single person. It was the most humiliating moment in Jinyoung's life; he wanted the ground to swallow him up and send him all the way down to the Underworld. Even eternal damnation in Tartarus sounded better going on a quest.  

His breath came out more and more shallow as he fully realized he might actually have to go on the quest.  _Him_. Useless, worthless, invisible him. He could hear his heart in his ears as tears stung his eyes. There had to be a mistake. He messed up enough in class; how terribly would he mess up out in the field? Especially if he were to be on a team with the highest ranked students at their school including Kang Daniel and Hwang Minhyun?  _Many will die because of you_. His mother's words rang in his ears. She must've known. Jinyoung leaned against a tree for support as his tears spilled over. People were going to die because of him. Stupid, weak, powerless him.  

"Jinyoung?" His heart jumped into his throat at his name and he hastily wiped his face to see none other than Hwang Minhyun standing over him with a concerned looked on his face. He hated it. Jinyoung hated all the concerned and sympathetic looks as much as he hated being at the academy. "Are you okay?" Minhyun asked.  

Jinyoung stood straight and lowered his eyes to the ground. He didn't want to have him see what sort of pathetic fool he had chosen for his team. "Yeah," he mumbled, "I'm alright."  

"Are you sure? Because you don't seem alright."  

Jinyoung rubbed his hand over his face. His mask was now drenched with a mixture of sweat and tears and felt disgusting against his skin. He took a deep breath before he asked, "Did you mean to put Woo Jinyoung in your team instead of me?"  

"No, I meant Bae Jinyoung. You are the only Bae Jinyoung, son of Hecate, at this school, right?"  

"I think you're making a mistake."  

Minhyun bit back a smirk. "You know, no one has ever said that to me after I picked them for my team before," he said. He placed his hand on Jinyoung's shoulder. "Why do you think that?"  

"Because I'm not good—at anything." Jinyoung swallowed down a sob that threatened to erupt from him. He could cry in the safety of his room, but not there.  

Minhyun was silent for a long time and Jinyoung thought he was actually reconsidering his decision. He ignored the way his heart fell to his feet at the idea of that. Not only did he have to endure the humiliation of being mistakenly picked for Minhyun's team, but he would have to go through the humiliation of being  _kicked_ _off_ of the team. "I think," Minhyun said, giving his shoulder a squeeze, "I think you're a lot better than you think you are."  

Jinyoung glanced up at him, confused, but couldn't bear to hold his gaze and looked back down at his feet. "I'm not," he said in a low voice.  

Minhyun sighed and patted him on the back. "I expect to see you at the quest house in an hour, Jinyoung," he said. Before Jinyoung could say anything else, Minhyun had turned and walked away, leaving him alone at the entrance of the forest.  

It had taken him a long time to reach the quest house. He spent an hour in the shower wallowing in self-pity, and then another hour in his bed doing the same. Jinyoung took heavy steps around his room as he packed the few belongings he had. On his desk, he caught sight of the necklace his mother had given him months ago with the sword and shield charms. She must've known since that moment. Jinyoung knew she only enchanted weapons for people going into battle. It was so obvious, he didn't know how he missed it. Everything she had said to him since that day was because she knew he was going to be picked for the quest.  

The quest house was a stone cottage out on the far side of the campus, tucked away behind hills and trees like a secret fortress. Jinyoung had gotten lost on his way until the nymphs had taken pity on him and pointed him in the right direction. By the time he reached the house, the sun was setting and he could see the glow of lights from inside. He trudged up the stairs with his suitcase and stared at the front door. He could hear the sounds of life coming from inside, but he had no desire to join them. He knew he didn't belong there; he wasn't part of their world. No matter what Minhyun had said, there had been a mistake and he wasn't good enough to even be in their presence. He felt a pitiful pang deep in his stomach that made him want to vomit.  

The door opened suddenly. Both Jinyoung and Jisung, the one who had opened the door, jumped when they saw each other.  

"Oh gods, you scared me!" Jisung said and swat him on the arm. "I thought you were a ghost. I nearly had a heart attack." He pressed a hand over his heart in a dramatic fashion to emphasize his point. "What are you out there for?"  

"Um," was all Jinyoung could say.  

"Come in, come in, it's going to get cold fast," Jisung said, putting his arm around Jinyoung's shoulders and pulling him into the house. "Everyone's already here. You're the last to arrive."  

The quest house was bigger than he expected, but it still had a cozy feel. The walls were a stony gray and the sitting room had large windows that were covered by long crimson curtains. The other members sat around the stone fireplace where a healthy fire crackled loudly between their boisterous conversation.  

Jisung took his suitcase away to some unseen corner and announced his presence. The others welcomed him kindly but it only made Jinyoung feel more like he didn't belong. Like a parent, Jisung called for everyone to gather together.  

Then, the introductions started.  

As they said their names, their ranks instantly popped into Jinyoung's head. "Kang Daniel."  _#1._  "Park Jihoon." _#4._  "Yoon Jisung."  _#9._  "Ha Sungwoon."  _#8._  When the group fell silent and turned their attention to him, Jinyoung stared at the ground and said in a barely audible voice: "Bae Jinyoung."  _#97._  "Nice to meet you."  

After that, they had gone back to talking to each other, ignoring his presence. They had all seemed to know each other from class or previous quests. The only ones that were Firsts like him were Daehwi and Kuanlin, but those two had so easily integrated themselves with the older boys that one wouldn't believe they had only been at the school for less than two years.  

Minhyun entered the room without a sound, so quietly that Jinyoung nearly jumped out of his skin when the older boy put his arm around his shoulders and said, "You've finally arrived." Jinyoung looked up into Minhyun's handsome face, but said nothing. Minhyun eyed the mangled skin on his chin and Jinyoung felt his face heat up. In his melancholy, he had forgotten to put his mask back on. Minhyun's hand reached up like he wanted to touch but stopped short by a few centimetres, and Jinyoung tried to make up some reason for his bruises. "I used to get injured a lot in my first year too. Simulation classes gave me more bruises than real monsters ever did."  

Jinyoung tilted his head at him. "What?"  

"You got hurt during class, right?" It wasn't really a question; he could see it on Minhyun's face. As Minhyun's eyes trailed down to the crudely wrapped bandages that he had tried to hide with his oversized clothes, Jinyoung realized that the older boy was trying to give him an out. Classroom injuries were healed almost completely within a day after visiting the infirmary—they had to be; demigods had to be in their best condition at all time—but classes had been canceled all week.  

"Yes," Jinyoung said, but he didn't look Minhyun in the eyes, "I got hurt in class."  

Minhyun gave his shoulder a gentle squeeze. "Let's go get you fixed up, then. Can't have you injured before we set off on the road." Before Jinyoung could protest, Minhyun led him down an unlit hallway to a small bedroom with two single beds. If the others had noticed them leaving, they didn't say.  

Jinyoung stood awkwardly in the center of the room as Minhyun pulled an iron pot from under one of the beds and retrieved a washcloth from the oak nightstand between the beds. He turned to Jinyoung and gestured for him to lay back on a bed. Jinyoung did so and stared up at the stone ceiling, his body tense.  

Minhyun placed the pot next to Jinyoung on the bed, removed the lid, and dipped the washcloth in the contents inside. " _Relax_ ," he said, and warmth washed over Jinyoung. His body loosened and his head lulled to the side. His eyes began to feel heavy as Minhyun pressed the soaked washcloth against his chin. A few drops of the golden liquid slid down his neck and into his shirt. Jinyoung had the intense sensation of burning heat and then icy coolness; this was the norm when it came to ambrosia.  

Minhyun worked quickly; he pulled up Jinyoung's sleeves and the legs of his trousers to expose his bandages. He tenderly unfurled the bandages and sucked in air through clenched teeth when he saw the extent of Jinyoung's injuries.  

"You don't have to tell me what you were really doing, but I do hope you'll be more careful in the future," he said and Jinyoung nodded, but didn't say a word. There was nothing he  _could_  say. Minhyun wiped his body with the washcloth and his apparent wounds disappeared before their eyes. He felt weightless and warm as the ambrosia healed him. For a demigod, ambrosia used in moderation was a quick fix when it came to most injuries and within minutes Jinyoung felt a thousand times better. With a gentle hand, Minhyun helped him to sit up on the bed before he returned the pot of ambrosia to where he had hidden it. Jinyoung blinked several times to keep himself awake and suddenly his vision was filled with Minhyun's concerned face. The other boy carefully examined his face. His eyes were a dark brown but the softness in his gaze reminded Jinyoung of his mother's eyes whenever he had gotten injured as a child. Minhyun also lightly traced his disappearing wounds with his long fingers the way Hecate did whenever she would heal him with magic. His eyes filled with tears as he thought about his mother. Minhyun looked into his eyes and then turned away from him.  

"I should go check on the others. I'll tell them not to disturb you, so you can have some private time," he said.  

Jinyoung felt childish for crying, but even more childish because of how desperately he wished Minhyun wouldn't leave. "You don't have to," he said in a low voice.  

The older boy faced him and gave his shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "It's alright. You should take some time to gather your thoughts." He gave Jinyoung a smile before he left the room, shutting the door tightly behind him. Jinyoung settled into the bed and curled up on his side. Within minutes, he was asleep.  

* * *

 Woojin had taken Daehwi around the house to introduce him to everyone and brag about his achievements which, in turn, made Daehwi blush and playfully smack his shoulder. Jisung pulled Daehwi into a tight hug after they had been introduced.  

"I've actually heard a lot about you," Jisung told him. Daehwi narrowed his eyes at Woojin, which made Jisung laugh. "Ah, no, not from Woojin. You're actually quite known around the school. Is it true you rescued a nymph from an empousa before you enrolled?"  

Daehwi's blush deepened and he gave Jisung a small nod. "It's not a big deal. I didn't even do much."  

"It  _is_  a big deal," Jisung asserted. "Come, come," he took Daehwi's arm and tugged him toward the kitchen, "Have you eaten? You look so thin."  

After Jisung had stuffed so much food into him that he could barely move, Daehwi took his luggage and made his way toward the bedrooms. The sun had set and the only light came from the fireplace, so he took hesitant steps through the hallway. The first bedroom he had stopped in front of was locked. Daehwi pressed his ear against the door and heard the sound of steady breathing. He picked up his luggage and trudged to the second room. As he turned the knob, it opened suddenly.  

Daniel appeared in front of him, haloed by the bright lights coming from inside the room, and held a hand out to block him from entering.  

"No, no, this room is for big kids only. No minors allowed," he said with a playful grin.  

Woojin came up from behind Daehwi and tried to peek into the room. "Why?" He demanded. "What do you guys have in there?"  

Daniel was about to speak when Jihoon walked by with two sandwiches in his hands and said, "They don't have anything special. I already went through all their stuff." He disappeared into the room next door before Daniel could respond. Woojin laughed, picked up Daehwi's belongings, and entered the room behind Jihoon as Daniel re-entered his own.  

Daehwi followed Woojin and Jihoon into a room with a bunk bed and a single bed. Between the beds was a nightstand. There was a single wardrobe in the room, but he didn't think any of them would be unpacking much before the start of the quest. Jihoon and Woojin sat together on the single bed, huddled over the sandwiches Jihoon had brought and talking in hushed tones. Instead of saying anything to them, Daehwi dropped his stuff on the floor and climbed into the top bunk. He fell asleep almost the instant his back touched the mattress.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, please leave lovely messages (help me grow as a writer!) here or you can tweet/DM me on twitter @kangdanielvevo. Also, if you livetweet this fic, I would love to see it. I've seen people livetweet other fics and they're entertaining to read. If you livetweet this, you can send me a link to it on twitter. Anyway, I hope you're enjoying the fic so far!


	6. Chapter 6

Daehwi awoke to the sounds of shouting coming from outside their door. He shot up in alarm and nearly banged his head against the ceiling. He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and glanced over to where Jihoon laid with his eyes closed on the single bed. The sole window in their room was between their beds and, in the light of the morning sun, Jihoon looked unreal. There were rumors that one of his ancestors was the child of Aphrodite and looking at his face, Daehwi could believe it. 

As if Jihoon could feel Daehwi's eyes on him, he said, "Woojin abandoned us." 

Daehwi blinked at him. "What was that?" 

Jihoon opened his eyes and turned toward him. "Woojin switched rooms with someone else." Before Daehwi could ask another question, Jihoon continued, "Apparently, we both talk in our sleep. Jinyoung is the unfortunate soul who has to deal with us  _conversationalists_ now." 

"Jinyoung?" Daehwi said as he carefully climbed down from his bed. "Bae Jinyoung?" 

"No, the other Jinyoung that's going on this quest with us," Jihoon said dryly before he turned away from him. Daehwi scowled at his back and left the room. 

In his sleepy haze, he had a hard time navigating through the dark hallway but managed to reach the living room where the rest of their group were eating breakfast. They ate with their plates either in their laps or on the table in front of them and spoke to each other loudly—too loudly for the early morning in Daehwi's opinion. Daehwi greeted them warmly and they greeted him back with the same enthusiasm. One person, he noticed, didn't. 

Jinyoung was a silent presence sitting alone in the corner of the room away from the others. He sat with a miserable slump of his shoulders and dark, brooding eyes. He cradled a bowl of food, but his mind was far away. Daehwi didn't know what to make of Jinyoung's perpetually gloomy state. In his few months at the academy, Daehwi had heard very little about Hecate, but the few people who had interacted with her had all mentioned her cold aura and indifferent personality. For a goddess, she was very isolated and chose to spend time by herself, with her Lampades, or with her close friend Persephone. He guessed that the loner personality just ran in the blood. 

When Daehwi stepped in front of Jinyoung, the other boy didn't even notice. 

"Hey, Jinyoung!" Daehwi said brightly. There was an initial look of shock etched on Jinyoung's features, but then his face softened and he smiled up at him. Daehwi noted how handsome he looked when he smiled. 

"Daehwi." Jinyoung's said his name so softly like it was something so fragile that he had to treat with care. Daehwi's stomach swooped low. 

"I heard Woojin tricked you into sharing a room with two sleeptalkers. Sorry about that," he said. Jinyoung was about to say something when a loud groan interrupted their conversation. The boys turned to where the other members of their group were sitting, each one now with a sullen look on their face as Minhyun stood over them. Jaehwan had his head in his hands. 

"We just finished eating," Jaehwan complained. "The last thing we want to do now is exercise." 

"We exercise before every quest. It's part of the training," Minhyun said. 

Seongwu got to his feet. "Only your groups do additional training before a quest. Everyone else just starts the quest." He made his way to the front door and the others followed behind him. 

"And only my groups have a perfect survival rate!" Minhyun shouted after them. He was about to follow them out when he stopped to look around the room. "Where's Jihoon?" 

Jisung tutted from the door. "Don't worry about that lazy kid. I'll go wake him up. You can go outside with the others," he said and Minhyun gave him an appreciate smile before he went outside. Jisung turned his attention to Jinyoung and Daehwi. "Daehwi, come help me get your lazy roommate. We might have to carry him out." Jinyoung muttered a barely audible " _See you outside_ ," to them and slipped out the front door of the cottage as Jisung slung an arm around Daehwi's shoulder and they walked to the bedroom together.  

Jihoon slept soundly on his side. At some point after Daehwi had left, Jihoon had closed the curtain of the only window in their room, so that the sun wouldn't disturb his slumber. Jisung marched over to the window and yanked the curtain open, flooding the room with sunlight.  

"Get up, Park Jihoon. Years later, and you're still the last one to wake up. I thought you would've grown out of that phase by now," he said as he shook Jihoon awake. Jihoon's eyes popped open and he was immediately on alert.  

"Is everyone else up?" He asked before a large yawn erupted from him. Jisung pulled his covers off and held them aloft when Jihoon grabbed for them.  

"Yes, and they're out in the fields already," Jisung told him.  

"In the fields?" Jihoon darted for the window and peered outside. "What are they doing in the fields this early in the day?"  

"On Minhyun's quests, we exercise after breakfast as part of our quest training," Jisung answered.  

"Does he want us to vomit first thing in the morning?" Jihoon mumbled. He paused, watching the others outside, and then turned to Jisung. His expression had changed, but Daehwi couldn't quite tell what was different. " _You should let me sleep for another hour. I'll work extra hard later_." Daehwi frowned. There was a familiar buzzing that he couldn't identify, but it was pleasant. The atmosphere in the room seemed to had been magically altered. He glanced at Jisung who had a blissed-out expression on his face. He looked calmer, lighter—more agreeable.  

"Fine," Jisung said, "But only an hour and not a second more! Exercising is important."  

" _Just go outside and I'll be there soon_ ," Jihoon said in a calm voice. Jisung's legs seemed to move on their own volition—if his confused face was any indication—and he walked out of the room, leaving Daehwi and Jihoon alone.   

Daehwi gasped as it dawned on him. "You have persuasion!" He said, pointing an accusatory finger at Jihoon. The other boy laid back in his bed and closed his eyes.  

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Jihoon was the picture of serenity, but Daehwi wasn't buying it for a second.  

"You have that power."  

"What power?"  

"Persuasion."  

"Is that a perfume?"  

The bed dipped as Daehwi sat beside where Jihoon laid on the bed and Daehwi poked him in the side several times, which caused Jihoon to sit up and finally open his eyes to look at him. "You can influence people to do what you want with only your voice. That's persuasion," he said.  

"I'm just naturally a good talker. No magical powers here." Jihoon raised his hands to show Daehwi his palms; Daehwi rolled his eyes at him.  

" _Park_ _Jihoon_ _, tell me the truth right now: do you have persuasion?_ " Daehwi tried to put as much power as possible into his words. The last time he had used his ability was months ago; he didn't usually need to use it in school.  

A grin slowly grew on Jihoon's face. "Oh," he said, " _you_ have it. Yeah, that won't work on me." He sat up straighter on the bed and beckoned for Daehwi to sit more comfortably next to him, and the younger boy did so, crossing his legs as they sat together. "I know you're new, but that power isn't looked upon favorably at this school due to the potential for abuse."  

Daehwi laughed. "Like getting an extra hour of sleep while the others are exercising outside?" Jihoon's smile faltered, but before he could say a word, they heard Minhyun shout from outside: "What do you mean Jihoon is resting? And where's Daehwi?" The duo glanced at each other and hurried to their feet.  

"I have a feeling that Minhyun would be less easy to manipulate, even with our combined powers," Jihoon said and Daehwi nodded in response. As they walked out their room, Jihoon grinned and said, "You know, there are a lot of great people who have the power of persuasion. Heroes, generals, e _mperors_..."  

* * *

Mnhyun had made the group run laps around the field next to the cottage and Jinyoung felt like his lungs were going to explode. He trailed behind the rest, but the others looked as exhausted as he was. Even Daniel had greatly slowed down his pace after the third pass around the area. 

"Keep up, Bae Jinyoung!" Minhyun barked behind him, which made him stumble and almost fall forward. When he didn't make any effort to run any faster, he heard Minhyun sigh as he jogged up next to him.  

"Speed is your greatest ally against monsters that are twice your size," Minhyun said.  

In front of him, Jinyoung heard Seongwu laugh and say to Daniel, "You know, it's funny hearing Minhyun lecture anyone about speed when he used to lose every foot race when we were younger." Daniel snickered in response. Jinyoung wondered how they could speak so candidly about someone like Hwang Minhyun. It would be like gossiping about Zeus himself.  

"I heard that, Seongwu," Minhyun said, but his tone was playful.  

Minhyun made them do several more laps around the field until even Daniel had to beg him to let them rest. Past the trees behind the cottage was a lesser known area of the school lake and the group decided to take a short break by its bank. They sat down on the grass, and within minutes, their voices filled the air. Jinyoung wondered how they could talk so easily to each other while coming from different backgrounds and being of different ages.  

Jinyoung sat far from the others by the trees, shadowed by the leaves overhead. As he caught his breath, he let his eyes trail down to where Daehwi sat together with Woojin, Jihoon, and Kuanlin by the bank. A naiad poked her head out of the water and Jihoon waved at her which, for some reason, made Woojin punch him in the arm. Daehwi threw his head back and laughed, then wrapped his arms around Kuanlin and Jinyoung felt something hot flare in his chest. The sweet melody of Daehwi's laughter echoed in his ears long after the boy had stopped. One thing Jinyoung admired about Daehwi was how brightly he shined all the time. There were very few times that he had seen Daehwi without a smile on his face, and it was only when he was deep in thought and pouted or frowned slightly. Jinyoung wondered if he knew he had that habit. 

Jinyoung thought back to the day Daehwi had talked to him for the first time in their weapons class. He wanted to ask him why he had helped him that day, but he could never muster up the courage. There had been a few times where their eyes had met in class or in the quest house, but Jinyoung would always look away first, casting his eyes to the ground as if he were unworthy. Jinyoung knew his normal behavior seemed strange to many people, but the way he acted around Daehwi made him seem strange to himself. 

"So, this is where you have decided to hide from everyone else." Minhyun sat down beside him under the trees. 

Jinyoung continued to stare forward. "I'm not hiding. I just—" 

"Want to be alone?" Minhyun suggested. "I hope I'm not bothering you, then." He made as if he were going to stand up, but Jinyoung stopped him.  

"You don't have to," he said, then quickly added: "If you want to stay, I mean. You can go if you want to. It's okay."  

Minhyun laughed and put his arm around his shoulder. " _Relax_ ," he said and Jinyoung felt tension leave his body as if by magic. "I have no problem keeping you company. I like being around you, Jinyoung."  

Jinyoung's eyebrows came together. "Really? Why?"  

"You're a lot like me when I was your age," Minhyun said, shifting so that he was closer. Jinyoung couldn't believe his ears, and told him so, which made the older boy laugh heartily. "It's not easy being the son of Zeus. It comes with a lot of pressure, especially when you're 17 years old and about to embark on your first quest. At that time, I had no powers and barely any training."  

"But everything went so well. People thought you guys were doomed."  

"I had a great team with me. Jonghyun, Dongho, Minki, Aaron, all of them. They helped me become the person I am today. It's all about who has your back when times get tough, in and out of the battle."  

"But why did you pick me for this team? You hardly know me."  

"But there are people who do know you, like Daehwi."  

Jinyoung looked at him. "Daehwi? We don't know each other well. We've barely spoken." 

It was Minhyun's turn to look confused. "Really? I thought because he—" He stopped, and then shook his head. "Never mind, it doesn't matter now. I hope you two do get closer, though. It's good to have a friend close to your age who understands you, especially when you're a demigod. We go through a lot of stuff that most people our age don't, and it can be very taxing both physically and mentally. Sometimes there's no better ambrosia in the world than having a friend to talk to."  

Jinyoung laughed before he could stop himself. "That's very cheesy," he said.  

"I'm the leader of this group. I have to keep saying cheesy lines to get you kids to feel good about yourselves. Do you know what cheesy things I used to say to Daniel and Seongwu? Now they're confident and spend all their time making fun of me," Minhyun said, and as if on cue, both boys had appeared in front of them. 

"We wouldn't make fun of you if you didn't give us so much material to work with," Seongwu said, and Daniel giggled beside him.  

Minhyun leaned back on his arms and looked up at them. He let out a yawn, pretending to be bored. "Yeah, yeah," he said, "what do you guys want? We were having a lovely conversation."  

"It sounded like you were just bragging about yourself, though?" Seongwu said.  

"That's a lovely conversation to me." Minhyun smirked up at him and the three boys shared a laughed that Jinyoung felt it was not his place to join in.  

"I think we should get back to the house before Woojin and Jihoon decide to jump in the lake and live with the naiads," Daniel said.  

Minhyun got to his feet and helped Jinyoung stand. His arm naturally slipped around Jinyoung's shoulders and the younger boy allowed himself to melt into his touch. "Seconds are the same every single year. They suddenly start noticing how pretty the nymphs are," he said. Jinyoung laughed quietly and walked with Minhyun as he announced they were returning to the house.  

Once the group had reached the stone house, Jinyoung retreated to his room while the others gathered in the living room. He heard Jisung loudly proclaim he was going to make a hearty meal for lunch, but Jinyoung needed to rest his aching bones first. He groaned as he curled up on his bed and faced the wall. His eyes slid closed and he let his mind go far, far away. 

Jinyoung was on the cusp of sleep when he felt the bed dip under the weight of someone else's body. He was startled but kept his eyes closed as the intruder settled on the edge of his bed.  

"How long are you going to keep pretending to be asleep?" Jinyoung was tempted to ignore him, but thought it pointless, and turned to see Park Jihoon smiling at him with a bag of candy in his hands.  

"I wasn't pretending. You woke me up," Jinyoung said, and he let out a yawn to emphasize his point.  

Jihoon gave him an apologetic look and raised the bag. "Want a jelly to make up for what I did?" he asked. Jinyoung wasn't particularly hungry, but he stuck his hand out and waited as the other boy fished into the bag and dropped one in his hand. "I have to get rid of them all before Daniel realizes I stole his candy."  

"Do you usually steal things from other people?"   

Jihoon hesitated and then gave him a mischievous smirk. "No," he said with a glint in his eyes, "This is the first time, I swear."  

"Why don't I believe you?"  

"You naturally have a hard time trusting others?" Jihoon suggested. He flopped down on the bed beside Jinyoung and stared up at the ceiling. "You know," he handed Jinyoung more candy when he saw the other boy was empty-handed, "our parents are good friends." Jinyoung nodded as he popped two of the jellies into his mouth and chewed thoroughly. His mother had talked about her friendship with Hermes. He was one of the few people she was truly comfortable around. It was the classic case of opposites attracting; Hermes was playful and outgoing while Hecate was introverted and serious. "So, I figured, it would be a good idea to try to get to know you better."  

"Really?"  

"I mean," Jihoon popped another jelly into his mouth and talked as he ate, "I know everyone else on this team, but I don't think I know a single thing about you."  

Jinyoung chewed in silence until Jihoon turned to face him on the bed. "What do you want to know?" Jinyoung asked.  

"How did you find out you were a demigod?" Jihoon held a jelly in front of his face as an incentive to answer and the other boy accepted the candy and the question.  

"I've always known. My mother took me from my father when I was barely a year old, and I was raised by mountain nymphs. She would take me on trips to teach me magic whenever she could," Jinyoung said before he stuffed the candy into his mouth.  

Jihoon's eyes widened. "Wait, really? You can do magic?" Jinyoung nodded. "What sort of magic?"  

Jinyoung shrugged. "All sorts. I can make things appear and disappear. I can create fire and water. I can heal. I can fight. But it's, uh," he looked down at his hands, "it's limited to the time of day. I can't really do much at night."  

"That's so cool. Your brother can't do magic, so I just assumed you couldn't either. Can you show me some magic?"  

Jinyoung looked over at him, surprised. "Oh, well, I wouldn't know what to show and—" 

He was cut off by the sound of their door being banged open hard. Jisung barged inside looking incensed. Jihoon shoved the bag of candy under his shirt and put a finger to his lips at Jinyoung. Jinyoung nodded.  

"My potatoes, Park Jihoon! You stole my potatoes!" Jisung said with his hands on his hips.  

Jihoon scrambled to his feet with his hands over his stomach to hide the candy in his shirt. "It wasn't stealing. It was a trade. Hermes is also the god of trade, remember? I needed them," Jihoon said to him.  

"And what did _I_  get in exchange for my potatoes?"  

Jihoon tilted his head and looked up at Jisung with big eyes. "My everlasting love," he said with a flutter of his eyelashes.  

Jisung waved his attempt at flattery away. "I don't want your love. I want my potatoes. I wanted to use them for dinner tonight. Why did you take them _all_?"  

"To give to the satyrs."  

"Why?"  

"So they could get me an audience with the dryads."  

Jisung huffed and folded his arms over his chest. "And why did you need to speak to the dryads?"  

"I needed to get something from the Deep Forest, and I didn't want to spend the rest of my life there. You know what they're like, especially at night," Jihoon said. He put his arms behind his back in an attempt to look more innocent in front of Jisung and the bag of candy fell to his feet. Both Jihoon and Jisung's eyes widened. Jisung dove for it, but Jihoon was quicker; he shoved it back into his shirt when he had retrieved it from the floor. Jinyoung laughed out loud and covered his mouth with his hands when both of the older boys turned to him.  

"Don't you encourage his bad habits, Jinyoung! He's nothing but a dirty little thief," Jisung said, and then turned to the thief in question. "You're lucky I don't do to you what my mother did to Erysichthon!" With that, he turned and left the room, slamming the door behind him.  

Jinyoung sat up in his bed, giving Jihoon space to join him; the other boy settled in and retrieved the candy from his shirt. "I thought you said you don't usually steal," he said, taking a candy from the bag.  

Jihoon grinned. "It wasn't stealing. I traded my love for Jisung's potatoes," he told him. "Anyway, I still have some potatoes left so dinner is saved. The dryads don't like potatoes. They'd much prefer chocolate."  

"And who are you going to steal that from?"  

Jihoon burst into laughter and Jinyoung joined in. The two boys sat cross-legged on the bed and finished the bag of candy in a comfortable silence.  

* * *

Daehwi’s entire body ached and he rested his full body weight against Jisung as their group made their way down the field to the lake. A naiad that had been drying out in the sun slipped into the water when she saw them approaching, but he saw her watching them from afar. 

"Okay!" Minhyun said when the group gathered around him. Daehwi, who had his arms around Jisung's waist and his head against his back, peeked out from behind him. He stood next to three life-size dummies on stands and at his feet lay a collection of swords, knives, bows and arrows, axes, and shields. "Now that your bodies have warmed up, I think we should play a game I played a lot in my first year here." Jaehwan, Sungwoon, Seongwu, Daniel, and Jisung grinned and eyed each other while the younger boys stared at their leader in confusion.  

"A game with swords and dummies? What game is that?" Kuanlin asked.  

"It's called Protect the Nymph. I know some of you have been vying for the attention of the beautiful nature spirits," Minhyun said and looked directly at Jihoon and Woojin who sniggered at each other, "So this is the perfect way to show them just how much of a big, strong demigod you are."  

With the sun directly on his back, Daehwi barely paid attention as Minhyun explained the rules and chose instead to tuck his head under Jisung's arm. Jisung wrapped his arms around him and held him close. The rules of the game seemed simple enough: one person was the "protector" and had to use the sword and shield to stop the second person, the "attacker", from getting to the "nymph" dummy. The attacker was allowed to use any weapon of their choosing to take down the dummy. The attacker had five minutes to get a hit on the dummy while all the protector had to do was defend. If the protector was successful in blocking for the entire five minutes, they won. If the attacker managed to hit the dummy, they won. There were two bowls in front of Minhyun with all their names written on pieces of papers and the opponents were to be picked from there. To Daehwi, it just seemed like a less intense version of their peer-to-peer combat class. 

The other boys stood by with excitement written on their faces as Minhyun reached into the two bowls.  

"Okay, okay," he said, "Let's start this. The first name is..." He let his hands swirl around in the bowl for a moment before he picked, "Jaehwan." Jaehwan pumped his fist in the air and stood next to Minhyun with a wide grin on his face. "And the next one..." He took less time to call the second name when he got the paper out of the bowl. "Oh, this is perfect. Jaehwan versus...Daniel." Jaehwan's face fell. "You get to choose which one you want to be: protector or attacker."  

"I'll be the attacker," Daniel said as he took a spot next to Jaehwan. He put his arm around Jaehwan's shoulders. "It'll be fun, right?"  

"Just remember that we have a quest after this. Don't hurt me."  

Daniel laughed. "Of course I won't hurt you. It's just a game."  

Daniel's weapon of choice was a short sword and he tested it by slashing through the air with ease. A few naiads that had been watching from the water slipped onto the rocks a short distance from them to watch the match. The other members of the group sat in the grass. Daehwi rested his head in Jisung’s lap as he watched Minhyun set up the dummy as Jaehwan and Daniel practiced with their weapons.  

Minhyun clapped to signal the start of the round and Daehwi was surprised at how quickly they had gotten into position. Jaehwan watched Daniel closely, anticipating his every move, but Daniel wasn't easy to predict. He was tall and broad with muscles peeking out of his sweat-soaked shirt, but there was a softness to him; he moved swiftly yet softly like a dancer half his size. His sword seemed to be an extension of himself and he wielded it in a way that looked effortless. He cut down the dummy with ease, expertly dodging all of Jaehwan's attempts to block him. Daehwi’s jaw dropped in awe. Jaehwan didn't even look surprised at the result of the match and just dropped his sword and shield on the grass.  

“Better luck next time!” Daniel said as he picked up his and Jaehwan’s weapons and handed them to Minhyun. 

“Yeah, yeah,” Jaehwan said, sitting down in the grass. Sungwoon poked his cheek, teasing him, and Jaehwan swatted him away. 

The next names called were Woojin and Seongwu. Woojin chose to be the protector right away after glancing at the naiads that had gathered to watch the young demigods, which had grown in number. Seongwu laughed, but agreed to be the attacker. The match was over as quickly as the last one, with cries of foul play when Seongwu had chosen a bow and arrow as his weapon and aimed his shot right at Woojin's head. Woojin ducked as soon as the other boy released his arrow and the arrow struck right between the dummy's eyes.  

"Hey! You could've killed me!" Woojin said.  

"I knew you were going to duck," Seongwu replied and put his arm around Woojin's shoulders. "Stop trying so hard to impress the nymphs. Focus on training."  

Daehwi felt much more alert when Minhyun had finished setting up the third dummy and reached into the two bowls at once. "And for our last battle, we have..." He opened the first paper and smiled to himself, "Daehwi." Daehwi shot up and scurried over to where Minhyun was standing. The rest of the members gave him affectionate smiles. When Daehwi stood next to Minhyun, the older boy reached over and patted his head. He then opened up the second paper and Daehwi tip-toed to try to peek at the name. "Daehwi versus Jihoon!"  

Jihoon kept his expression controlled, as usual, and strolled over to where Daehwi and Minhyun were standing. The members cheered for the both of them, but Daehwi noticed Jinyoung looking right at Jihoon when he cheered and wondered when the two had become friendly.  

They had gotten into position and Jihoon selected his weapon from the pile. Daehwi watched him closely as he picked up a hunting knife with a curved, serrated-edged blade and an antler handle. Carved into the side of the handle was a hare in mid-jump. Jihoon turned to him with glinting eyes.  

Daehwi studied his opponent as he was taught in class. Jihoon was small and stocky, but he was broad-shouldered and his calves were thickly carved with muscle. His face was plump with childhood which deceived most and hid the iron within, but Daehwi had seen him fight in the arena and knew what he was capable of. Daehwi knew his own strength lied in his speed and cleverness, but Jihoon had similar strengths.  

Daehwi kept the dummy behind him as Jihoon advanced. He easily blocked all of Jihoon's strikes with his shield and Jihoon puffed his cheeks up in frustration.   

"You're so good at this. I don't know what to do," he said. Jihoon's eyes were two twinkling crescents on top of full cheeks and Daehwi wondered how someone who looked so much like a rabbit that had accidentally been turned into a human managed to be one of the highest ranked students at their school.  

"Laying it on a bit thick, aren't you, Jihoon?" Daehwi retorted.  

"We're just having fun here," Jihoon said back.  

Daehwi tried to swipe at Jihoon's shoulder with the sword, but the other boy was too fast. They danced around each other for what seemed to be ages when they heard Minhyun say, "Ten seconds left, Jihoon!" Daehwi cheered internally. He just had to hold Jihoon back for ten more seconds and he would be the first protector of the day to win.  

"Ten seconds? Good," Jihoon said. He thrust his knife forward near an unprotected part of the dummy, and when Daehwi moved to block it with his shield, Jihoon spun swiftly around him and embedded his knife deep into the side of the dummy's neck. Daehwi let out a surprised squeak.  

On the ground across from them, Daniel laughed out loud.  

"Don't let his cute face distract you, Daehwi," Minhyun said with an amused smile as he walked over to the impaled dummy. "He knows how to use it well."  

After the game, Minhyun gave them the option to rest before dinner was served, but the older boys seemed to be more interested in sparring with the weapons. The naiads had retreated into the water, but Daehwi saw Woojin glance at the lake every so often as he sparred with Jihoon. Jihoon used his distracted state to strike him right above the bellybutton with the hilt of his sword and Woojin bent forward, holding his stomach. 

Jisung came up behind Daehwi and wrapped his arm around his waist. "Do you want to help me make dinner?" Daehwi nodded and Jisung hugged him close, and looked for anyone else that wasn't otherwise preoccupied. Kuanlin was sleeping by the bank, dangerously close to the water and backdropped by the setting sun. Daehwi's eyes went from where Kuanlin laid to up by the trees where a figure was partially hidden. He squinted and saw that it was none other than Jinyoung. Jisung must've noticed him the same time as Daehwi because he suddenly shouted, "Bae Jinyoung! Come help me make dinner!" 

Jinyoung head shot up and he rubbed his hands over his face, but nodded and got to his feet. The trio walked together back to the cottage with Daehwi in Jisung's arms and Jinyoung trailing behind them. 

* * *

In all honesty, Jinyoung didn't know how to cook, so when Jisung had asked him to help him make dinner, he wasn't expecting to do much. He figured he would just be washing a few vegetables or watching over a pot as the contents inside boiled. He didn't expect to be greeted by the sight of nearly a hundred potatoes in baskets on a long table outside the cottage, all ready to be peeled and washed. 

"I thought Jihoon stole your potatoes," Jinyoung said as Jisung handed him a potato peeler.  

Jisung's face darkened. "He stole  _my_ potatoes, so I had to ask my siblings at the farm at the other side of the school if they had any. Thankfully, Donghyun had a lot." 

Daehwi stood beside Jinyoung and wiped his hands on his trousers before he picked up a potato. "How did you know Jihoon stole his potatoes?" 

"I was in our room with him when Jisung accused him of taking them," Jinyoung said. He glanced around to ensure that Jisung had gone into the house to cook and they had been truly left alone, and then whispered to Daehwi, "He also took Daniel's candy. He shared some with me." 

Daehwi laughed. "Woojin did tell me that I should be careful with my stuff while sharing a room with Jihoon." He peeled a potato carefully and Jinyoung, who could barely get the skin off even with the peeler, attempted to copy his technique. "All this time I thought Jihoon was so serious, but he's very playful." 

"Sometimes people are different from their first impression," Jinyoung said and Daehwi hummed in agreement. After that, they worked in silence. They had gotten halfway through a basket when Jinyoung couldn't help but throw glances in Daehwi's direction. With them being alone and the boy being so close to him, Jinyoung ached to ask him what he hadn't had the courage to do for ages. He cleared his throat. "Hey," he said, and Daehwi automatically turned to face him, "Do you remember when you helped me during Weapons Training?" 

Daehwi stared at him. "Weapons Training?" he asked. Jinyoung felt his chest fall to the pits of his stomach.  

His eyes dropped down to his hands and he peeled a potato with more force than necessary. "Oh, of course, you wouldn't remember. It wasn't anything. You probably help a lot of people. It's nothing. I'm stupid. You don't have to remember," he rambled. 

Daehwi smiled and took his hand, giving it a squeeze. "No, I do remember," he said, "You were holding a spear and your positioning was all wrong. I helped you fix your stance. I just didn't think  _you_  would remember."  

Jinyoung chewed his bottom lip before he asked, "Why did you help me that day?"  

Daehwi looked confused at the question. "Because you needed help," he said as if it were the simplest thing in the world and Jinyoung supposed that, to him, it was.  

"Do you think you could help me...with other stuff?"  

"Like what?"  

"Like everything?"  

Daehwi broke into a wide smile. "Sure. I'd be glad to," he said. 

Jinyoung didn't want there to be a lull in their conversation, so he blurted out, "How did you find out you were the son of Aphrodite?"  

Daehwi smiled to himself as he put a peeled potato into a basket with the other completely peeled ones to be washed later. "She appeared in my room and said she was a goddess. I thought she was crazy so she turned me into a dove to prove it." The boys laughed together. He looked up at Jinyoung. "How about you? How did you find out about Hecate?"  

"I've always known. I was raised by nymphs and my mom would come from time to time to teach me magic."  

"Oh, yeah, Jihoon did tell me that you can do magic."  

Jinyoung ducked his head and rubbed the back of his neck. "I—uh—yeah, I can. But I'm not very good."  

"Can you show me something?"  

Jinyoung nearly dropped a potato on the ground at his request. "S-something? Like magic? You want me to do magic?"  

"Yeah, silly. I want you to do magic," Daehwi paused and then said cautiously, "If that's okay with you, of course."  

"No, no, I mean, yes, it's okay! I can—if you want me to."  

Daehwi's eyes twinkled. "I do."  

Jinyoung thought for a moment before he placed the potato and peeler he had been holding on the table and turned to Daehwi. The younger boy's eyes were lively and expressive, and they searched his face with a sort of childlike curiosity. Jinyoung steadied him with his arms and reached over to tuck a lock of hair behind Daehwi's ear. When he brought his hand back, he held a single red rose in his hand.   

Daehwi laughed. "That's just a magic trick. I've seen mortals do that. What are you, a magician?"  

Jinyoung repeated the motion, but this time he held a coin between his fingers. "Yeah, I guess so," he said with a grin. He placed the single rose on the ground and focused all his energy on it. With a flash of light, the single rose turned into a rosebush. He carefully plucked a few of the ones that looked the most alive and handed them to Daehwi. "My magic is a bit weak right now because it's nighttime, but I hope this is okay," he said.  

Daehwi stared at the roses with wide-eyes and then dropped them on the table and grabbed Jinyoung's hands. He ran his thumbs along the lines of Jinyoung's palm sending a shiver through his body. "If this is weak, I'd love to see you when you're strong," Daehwi said. "You're amazing." Jinyoung's ears burned at the praise. 

"Why do you always stare at me?" Daehwi asked suddenly.  

Jinyoung looked at him, startled. "W-what?" 

"You're always staring at me," Daehwi said. "Why do you do that?" 

" _You_  always stare at  _me_!" Jinyoung shot back. 

"Yeah, but every time I look at you, you're already looking at me!" Daehwi said. They looked at each other and Jinyoung couldn't help but laugh at the ridiculousness of their conversation. "What?" Daehwi asked. "Do I have something on my face?" 

Jinyoung took the opportunity to properly study Daehwi's face. He took in the milky skin, the naturally pouty pink lips, and the uneven eyelids. "Have you ever noticed that one of your eyes is smaller than the other?" 

Daehwi looked away from him. "Yeah, it's ugly, I know." 

Jinyoung frowned. "No, it's cute. Why do you think it's ugly? Did someone tell you it's ugly?" He felt burning hot anger erupt in his chest at the thought that someone would actually have the nerve to call Daehwi ugly. 

"Oh, I didn't mean ugly. I just meant that I'm weird looking," Daehwi said with a dismissive shrug of his shoulders. 

Jinyoung shook his head vigorously. "You're not weird looking. You're handsome like all sons of Aphrodite."  

"I don't look as good as the others. I mean, look at me and look at someone like Kwon Hyunbin in Seconds. There's a clear difference in looks."  

"Everyone has their own preference. Personally, I like your looks better than his. You're cuter."  

The potato peeler clattered loudly on the table when it fell out of Daehwi's hand and his face filled with color. "Y-you think I'm cute?"  

"I mean, you're—I—yeah? Is that okay?" Jinyoung felt a flush go up from his neck. 

Daehwi peered up at him. "Are you asking me if it's okay to think I'm cute?"  

"I don't want to make you uncomfortable or—"  

"Jinyoung?" Daehwi said, cutting him off. 

"Yeah?"  

"Thank you." The words were small but so full of sincerity that Jinyoung felt his chest flutter warmly. 

Jinyoung couldn't even bear to look at him because he felt he could melt right there. He cleared his throat and gave Daehwi a small smile, but kept his eyes down on the potato in his hands. "You're welcome."  Jinyoung bit his lip to stop himself from smiling and, when he glanced over at Daehwi, he saw the boy was doing the same. He chuckled under his breath as the two of them got back to work in a much more comfortable silence. 

When they had finished peeling, they brought the baskets into the house to clean the potatoes under Jisung and Sungwoon’s supervision. Hours later, the entire quest group had gathered in the front yard of the house and they sat in a circle surrounding a burning pyre. Jisung and Sungwoon had made a delicious stew of fresh herbs and vegetables with potatoes and a variety of meats. At the start of their meal, Jihoon had thrown a hare he had captured and slaughtered into the pyre as a sacrifice to Hermes, who was the patron of travelers, to watch over them and protect them. He said a quick prayer in Ancient Greek before he went back to his meal. 

Daehwi and Jinyoung sat together on the ground and watched as a few of the boys decided to have an impromptu dance battle beside the fire. Jihoon beatboxed and the others clapped supportively as Woojin was the first to make his way into the center of the dance battle. The first thing he did was flip onto his hands and contorted his legs into a perfect angle which made the other boys applaud and cheer. Seongwu went after him, entering the battle with a popping freestyle which he was known for around the school.  

Daehwi placed his hand on Jinyoung's knee to get his attention. "Did you know that Woojin used to go to a dance school before he came here?" he whispered into the other boy's ear. 

Jinyoung looked at him. "Really?"  

Daehwi nodded. "Yeah. And Daniel too, according to Jisung. Seongwu and Jihoon were going to be actors and Jaehwan had already started his career as a singer before they came here. It's funny how life works out, isn't it? They could've been celebrities, but now they go on quests and slay monsters."  

"Yeah," Jinyoung said. He thought about the dreams the members had before they had been brought into the academy, destined to die young as they trained, sweated, and bled just in the hopes that one day they would be seen as heroes by gods that barely paid attention to them. "Funny."  

The boys dancing chanted Minhyun's name when he approached the pyre with an animal sacrifice for his father. At first, he declined to join in, but Daniel and Seongwu grabbed his arms, preventing him from leaving, so he placed his plate on the ground. Jinyoung watched with glee as the man so many had dubbed "Athena's Twin" and "The Emperor" did an uncoordinated wiggle dance next to Daniel that seemed to go along with a beat that only he could hear inside his head. Jinyoung found himself laughing along with the others.  

* * *

 

As the evening started to wind down, the air was filled with the sound of Jaehwan's guitar and the sweet harmony of his, Sungwoon's, and Jisung's voices as they sang along to the song he played in the living room of the cottage. Daniel and Seongwu had invited Woojin, Jihoon, Daehwi, and Jinyoung to their room while Kuanlin took a nap in his own. The boys lounged around Daniel and Jisung’s beds while Daniel showed off the Nemean lion pelt that he had gotten as a gift from Athena after one of his many quests and the boys gazed at it with awestruck expressions.  

Daehwi and Jinyoung were in their own world. They sat against the wall on Daniel’s bed with their heads bowed toward each other, whispering about whatever came to their minds. Daehwi’s heart thrilled at how easily Jinyoung smiled as they talked. It was as if a completely different person sat beside him, and he remembered what Jinyoung had said about first impressions. 

“So, when did Daehwi and Jinyoung start dating?” Seongwu asked in a voice so loud that Daehwi wondered if he was trying to alert the attention of Hades all the way down in the Underworld. Daehwi rolled his eyes but noticed that Jinyoung had started to blush. 

“Leave them alone,” said Woojin, and Daehwi gave him an appreciative look. “I’m happy Daehwi made a new friend.” 

“Yeah, and Jinyoung looks much happier than he used to,” Jihoon noted. Beside Daehwi, Jinyoung smiled, but kept his eyes down on his lap. 

“I think they’re good for each other. Jinyoung looked very down when he was called for the quest,” Daniel said and the others nodded. Daehwi wrapped his arms around Jinyoung’s middle. “I thought he hated us or something.” 

Jinyoung finally raised his head and looked at the others. “I don’t hate you guys. I was worried because you guys are much higher ranked than I am," Jinyoung confessed. Daehwi gave his arm a reassuring squeeze. 

"You actually pay attention to the rankings? They're meaningless," Seongwu told him, sitting up on Jisung’s bed. "Plus, you've only been at the school for a few months. In my first four months, I couldn't get out of the 40s and there were only about 50 students."  

"I remember the first time my name came up on the ranking board. I was ranked 72 out of 99," Woojin said. "The next weeks, I went lower and lower, but I worked hard and stopped thinking about the stupid ranking system all the time."  

"My first three years at this school I was low ranked until I went on my first quest with Minhyun," Daniel said.  

"Oh yeah! That quest shot us up to the top 10 when we came back," Seongwu said with a smile, reminiscing about their famous adventure.  

"Jihoon, what was your first rank when you came to the school?" Woojin asked, turning to the boy sat on the floor who had been suspiciously quiet during the entire conversation.  

Jihoon cleared his throat and gave the others a sheepish look. "Oh, uh, well, I got in after I killed a cetus. I was ranked #1 for weeks."  

The older boys groaned and Seongwu rolled his eyes. "Anyway, what we're trying to say, Jinyoung, is that normal demigods that don't get everything handed to them because of their cute faces and good luck don't rank high during their early years," he said.  

Jihoon sat up and scoffed in protest. "Hey! I saved three demigods and slew a sea-monster!" 

"Yeah, yeah, you probably winked at it or something," Seongwu said dismissively.  

"I bet he did that annoying baby voice he does sometimes and it chose to kill itself," Woojin added.  

"No, he batted his eyelashes at it and the sheer force of those things blew the monster far away," Daniel said between giggles.  

Jihoon glowered at them and got to his feet. "I'm going to my room."  

"No, wait, come back!" Seongwu called after him. "Tell us which one is right! Did you wink or bat your eyelashes?"  

"I hate you guys!" Jihoon yelled. He left and slammed the door behind him, which made the boys in the room erupt with laughter. They joked all through the night and Daehwi didn't remember falling asleep. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The quest begins next week! I should be posting it by next week Tuesday or Wednesday but real life might get in the way, plus I've been a bit sick lately and spending all my time sleeping instead of editing. I usually edit right before I post instead of right when I write the chapter, but that fucked me this time because I had to edit this while I'm full of only cough medicine, vitamins, and tea, and also sleepy as hell.
> 
> Please leave a comment about how you like the fic so far and you can also talk to me/follow me on twitter @kangdanielvevo. Hope you're having a lovely day/night!


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings for gore (there's blood, a lot of blood), vomit, and general grossness. Also swearing? Idk if I have to warn for swearing, but there is some swearing in this chapter.
> 
> A/N: Please forgive me for taking so long to update but real life got in the way (I was sick for a week) and then I re-read the chapter and didn't like how it was so I took things from other chapters and added them here and it was just A Whole Thing to deal with. Anyway, in my opinion, this chapter makes up for the long wait.
> 
> Also, Woojin is my favorite in this chapter.

Minhyun woke them up before the sun rose. Jinyoung awoke in a confused state, unsure of how he had ended up in a single bed with Daehwi in his arms and Woojin curled up at their feet. Daniel slept next to them on the floor with his Nemean lion pelt serving as a blanket. Jinyoung started to get out of bed after he saw Seongwu rise from his place on the lower bunk of the bunk bed, but stopped himself when the action jostled both Daehwi and Woojin awake. Daehwi groaned and turned to him, burying his sleepy head into Jinyoung's chest. Jinyoung tensed, but relaxed when he felt Daehwi's warm breath on his skin, and settled back to let the other boy rest on him more comfortably. 

"Come on, wake up," Minhyun said, pulling every blanket in the vicinity off the beds to stop the others from hiding themselves in them. 

" _Five more minutes_ ," Daehwi said through a yawn and Jinyoung fought the urge to hold him closer. 

Minhyun laughed. "Jihoon tried the same thing and it didn't work on me either," 

Daehwi groaned and rubbed his eyes. "It would've worked if Jisung had come." 

"That's why I specifically didn't ask Jisung to wake you up," Minhyun replied. 

Less than a half hour later, the boys filed into the living room with groans and staggered gaits comparable to zombies. They didn't trust themselves to stay awake if they sat down, so everyone stood around the room, avoiding the sofa and chairs altogether. 

Minhyun clapped his hands together. "Now that we're all up—" 

"Debatable," Seongwu said and he flicked Daniel's forehead after the latter had fallen asleep standing up. 

"Shouldn't we rest for a few hours more before exercising?" Jihoon asked, his voice muffled by Jisung's chest. The older boy held him close with one arm around him and the other around a barely-conscious Daehwi. 

"We're not exercising. We're leaving today," Minhyun said. His statement woke everyone up. 

Woojin rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. "What?" He stifled a yawn. "Without any warning?" 

Minhyun sighed and stood in the center of the room and ten pairs of eyes were glued to him. He glanced at Sungwoon before he spoke, "The situation in Olympus has worsened. There has also been an unforeseen development." 

"What's happening?" Daniel asked. 

Sungwoon took the opportunity to speak up. "It's a rumor right now, but there are some that believe it's Ares. People think he's gathering an army to fight against Zeus." 

"Ares? He kidnapped Hera and Aphrodite? What does he need with them?" Daehwi asked. 

"I said it before: the goddesses are the glue that hold Olympus together. Once they're indisposed, Zeus becomes a moody tyrant and everyone else runs away. Olympus is in discord and Ares is taking advantage of that," Minhyun said. 

"But an army? Why now? Why not centuries ago?" Seongwu asked. 

Minhyun shrugged. "Who knows? We're not even sure that this is the first time it's happened. There are many things that have happened in the history of the gods that we're not privy to." 

Daniel stood up straight. "So, what do we do?" 

"Pack your things and get ready to go," Minhyun said. "We should first stop off to meet an oracle and then we'll make our way to where the goddesses are being held." 

Daehwi tilted his head in confusion. "You already know where they are?" 

"I have an idea, but I'm not fully certain," Minhyun said and he rubbed the back of his neck. He took a breath before continuing. "I'm hoping the oracle will give me a clearer picture." 

"Alright, let's do this, then," Jisung said with a clap. 

The others nodded in agreement. Minhyun dismissed them and the group groggily made their way to their rooms to pack their things. Since most of the group was used to the urgency that came with quests, they were prepared for the sudden change of plans and luggage filled the living room within the hour. Minhyun and Jisung led the group to the van in which they were to be traveling. Jinyoung watched as Jaehwan took one of Daehwi's bags and slung it over his shoulder. Daehwi giggled and slapped his arm playfully. He tried to tug his bag away from him, but Jaehwan ran forward and Daehwi had to chase him, laughing the entire way. Jinyoung frowned as he watched them. Suddenly, his own luggage felt too heavy in his arms and he wanted nothing more than to throw his bags into the van already. 

The walk to the road from the quest house was a long one since the exit to the main road was on the other side of campus. Since it was so early in the morning and the sun had only begun to rise, there were no students outside. A few nymphs greeted them and wished them well on their journey, but the trip toward the road was an uneventful one. Past the cabins that often housed visitors was a wide open road that Jinyoung recognized as the one he had walked along the day he had come to the school with his mother. 

Their ride was a large, dark gray van with many supplies already secured onto the roof. The boys placed their luggage in the back and made their way to the opened doors. Seongwu had started his teasing before they had even gotten into the vehicle. 

Seongwu tossed the keys to Jinyoung. "Quest rules: the newbie has to drive the van." 

Jinyoung sputtered. "W-what? I don't know how—" 

Jisung took the keys from him and handed them back to Seongwu. "Stop messing with the children." 

"But it's so fun," Seongwu replied and he ruffled Jinyoung's hair. 

They entered the van one by one. The van had to be old and Jinyoung suspected they didn't plan on keeping it very long. It moved awkwardly, the seats were lumpy and torn, and the engine made a noise that Jinyoung could only describe as "violent." Normally a vehicle with an engine as loud as theirs would've ruined any chance of conversation, but that didn't stop their group. Jisung and Sungwoon chatted loudly in the front, inviting anyone nearby into their conversation at various points. Seongwu kept his eyes on the road but, every once in a while, he would say something to Daniel, who sat next to him, and Jaehwan, who sat behind him and across from Jisung and Sungwoon. Minhyun had started the drive standing, keeping a watchful eye on the group, but had eventually retreated into one of the seats next to Jaehwan where he looked to have fallen asleep. 

It was interesting seeing how they all got along so easily when, if Jinyoung had recalled correctly, they had never been in a full group like this before. He wondered if it were just the congruence of the most powerful demigods that made them have such natural chemistry. 

Jinyoung sat in the very back where four seats were connected and behind him their luggage shifted with every bounce and turn. Next to him was Jihoon who had fallen asleep with his head on Woojin's shoulder the moment they had settled into their seats. Next to Woojin was Daehwi. 

He couldn't hear the conversation Woojin, Daehwi, and Kuanlin—who sat in front of Daehwi and faced the other two during the ride—were having over the roar of the engine, but they had been talking for what seemed like hours. 

Jinyoung's eyes were drawn to Daehwi's profile as the other boy chatted along happily. 

Their eyes met once and Daehwi smiled at him which sent a jolt through Jinyoung's chest. Jinyoung smiled back and gave him a small wave. There were a lot of things that confused him about Daehwi, but the way the other boy made him feel sometimes was the most confusing. Jinyoung kept his attention out the window for the rest of the ride; he let the world inside the van melt away from his consciousness as he watched the sky go from a bright blue to a muggy gray to nearly pitch-black darkness. They had passed residential areas, tree-lined roads, and different lakes and streams, and a gentle rainfall welcomed them into the evening. Jinyoung found himself struggling to keep his eyes open. 

Jihoon's head flopped onto his shoulder and Jinyoung stiffened in alarm, which caused the other boy to wake up. Jihoon blinked his eyes open and stared up at Jinyoung through an addled haze. Jinyoung expected him to become embarrassed, but Jihoon just mumbled an apology before wiping a hand all over his face. 

Jihoon poked Woojin's side. "Got anything to eat?" he muttered.  

Woojin shared an amused grin with Kuanlin and then yelled out, "Jisung! Jihoon is hungry." 

"I asked  _you_  for food, not the whole damn car," Jinyoung heard Jihoon say under his breath and Jinyoung found himself smiling. 

The conversation at the front of the van suddenly ceased— _had they really been talking for that entire_ _time?_  Jinyoung wondered—and Jisung glanced at the back. 

"We should stop to eat and set up camp for the night," he said. 

Daniel groaned. "But it's raining." 

Jisung had already started pushing Sungwoon out of his seat. "You're not salt. You won't melt." 

"Bugs come out when it's raining!" Daniel whined. 

"He has battled the biggest, scariest monsters, but he's still scared of bugs. Unbelievable," Jisung muttered. 

Seongwu pulled over and they set up camp in the woods by the road. Wilderness training at the academy started from the Seconds, so Jinyoung, Daehwi, and Kuanlin stood around uselessly as the older boys pitched the tents. Once everything had been set up and Jisung brought out food from one of his bags, they ate under the set-up canopy, barely protected from the rain and winds.  

Jinyoung and Daehwi sat together on blankets on the ground and watched Daniel struggle with his electric bug zapper to destroy every insect that came in his general vicinity. They laughed together when Daniel had given up eating only after a half an hour and retreated to the relative safety of his tent, mumbling that he'd much rather take on twenty Hydras at once than even a single moth. After Daniel had left, it began to rain harder and the wind had picked up which made the canopy sway and shudder. Jisung continuously glanced at the poles that held the canopy up and after one had clearly shifted due to the weather, he got to his feet. 

"I think we should go to bed. This canopy won't hold up for much longer," he said. Minhyun slowly chewed his food as he looked up at the canopy and nodded. As Jinyoung had gotten to his feet, he heard the canopy creak under the weight of the rain. He frowned as he gazed up at its white roof and down at the tattered blankets that the others had just left on the floor in their wake. He was starting to believe that no one expected to keep any of their things for a long while on the quest. He wondered if they had just gotten so used to things breaking down during missions that they just took whatever could last for a day or two before they decided to abandon them. Jinyoung didn't like the idea of that; it made him feel uneasy. 

Four large tents had been set up to protect the demigods from their surroundings. Jinyoung felt a tug of disappointment deep in his stomach when he saw Daehwi clinging to Jisung's side and entering one of the tents with him and Sungwoon. At most the tents could take three people, and Jinyoung still felt awkward with the other members of the group. The other tents were filled quickly, but he was grateful when he saw Jihoon waving at him to try to get his attention from inside an otherwise unoccupied tent. 

"There's no one here but me," he said. "We can share unless you'd rather deal with the rain than my sleeping habits." 

Jinyoung laughed as he entered the tent with his sleeping bag. "Your sleeping habits aren't that bad. Just don't kick me in your sleep or anything." 

"I can't promise that," Jihoon said, getting up to close the flap of the tent behind Jinyoung, "But I can give you something to make up for anything I do during the night." He reached into the side pocket of one of his bags and produced a large candy bar. 

"Chocolate?" Jinyoung asked, reading the wrapper. Memories of days before flooded his mind and he looked back at Jihoon's face and grinned. "Who did you steal this from?" 

Jihoon gave him a vacant stare, feigning innocence. "I have no idea what you're talking about. Do I look like a thief to you?" 

Jinyoung didn't reply, but chose instead to take the chocolate bar from Jihoon. He ripped off a corner of the wrapper and bit into it. The chocolate was bitter, which he wasn't a fan of, but he made a delighted hum which seemed to please Jihoon. The other boy laid back in his sleeping bag and Jinyoung used that as an opportunity to slip the chocolate bar into his bag. He had no plans to continue eating it, but he might need to use it to convince a nymph to help him in the future. When he turned back around to check if Jihoon had noticed, he saw the other boy had fallen fast asleep. Jinyoung took that as his cue to do the same. He buried himself in his sleeping bag and within minutes, he was asleep. 

A loud  _crack_ outside thrust him into consciousness and Jinyoung jumped up from his sleeping bag on high alert, his heart racing in his chest. He looked around, but Jihoon was still asleep, mumbling something incoherent. Jinyoung yawned as he emerged from his tent and was surprised to see a girl next to a campfire. The rain had stopped and the logs under the fire still glistened with wetness, but the fire crackled and warmed as any campfire would. He approached the girl carefully, thinking she was a nymph, and was even more surprised to see a familiar face. 

"Hestia," he said; she turned to him and smiled. Hestia had warm brown eyes and freckles from cheek to cheek. Her chestnut hair fell in ringlets around her face and stopped at her shoulders. She looked more like a child than a centuries old goddess but he knew she was full of maturity and wisdom. Jinyoung dropped his eyes to the ground. It wasn't polite to stare at a goddess, and even less so for a man to look directly at one of the three virgin goddesses without her explicit permission. 

The goddess chuckled. "It's okay. You may look," she said. He hesitantly raised his eyes to look at her. "Come," she said, reaching out to him with a hand and Jinyoung couldn't help but be drawn to her inviting aura. Being around the goddess was like receiving a comforting hug on a warm autumn day which was unlike being around any other deity. Jinyoung sat cross-legged next to her and allowed the goddess to look him over. Her eyes met his and she smiled, and Jinyoung felt himself smiling back. 

 "Why are you here?" He asked before he could stop himself. 

"I exist wherever my essence is evoked," she said and pointed at the fire. 

"But we didn't set up a campfire because of the rain." 

"Sweet child," she said, taking his hand in hers, "the hearth is not always a physical fire. The same way a home is not always a collection of bricks stacked upon each other and a family is not always a group of people related by blood." 

Jinyoung couldn't understand what she was trying to imply, but he could tell she was trying to tell him something she felt was important. He stared into the fire as the flames danced along the wet logs. "Did my mother send you here because she couldn't come herself?" 

"Would you be happy if I told you she did?" 

"I don't really care," he said with a shrug. 

Hestia's eyes crinkled. "I've never met someone who would be so brazen to lie to a goddess." 

"Okay, I do care." 

She ran her thumb across his knuckles. "Unfortunately, I have not heard word from your mother in many moons. I came because I can see you are still filled with self-doubt." Jinyoung stared at her, unsure of how to respond. As if she could tell, she continued and asked, "Do you think you will be unable to succeed?" 

"I've never been on a quest before while almost everyone else in this group has. What if I mess something up? What if I'm the reason we fail or someone...if someone dies?" He whispered the question as if saying it too loud would make it come true. 

"You have a lot of worries for a boy so young." 

"I don't know why I can't be like the others but—" He swallowed down a sob, feeling his eyes well up with warm tears. "I’m still lacking in many areas." 

Hestia was silent, but the air around them seemed to heat up as the time went by. Jinyoung kept his eyes on the fire, not willing to look at the goddess as he blinked away his tears. He was supposed to be a hero on his first quest with demigods who were considered the most powerful. 

"Do you think Herakles had no worries before he set off to complete his trials?" She asked. 

"H-Herakles?" 

Hestia continued as if he hadn't spoken. "Do you think the greats like Jason, Perseus, and Odysseus had no worries or fears? Even the mighty Achilles, who was known to only have one weakness, had his moments of trepidation. But that didn't stop any of them from being heroes." 

"But I'm not like them." 

"Did you know that Perseus slayed Medusa and used her head to kill the king only to save his mother?" 

"I know." 

"And Dionysus, my sweet nephew who I gave up my seat at Olympus for, did you know he went all the way to Hades for his mother?" 

Jinyoung nodded. "I do." 

"Do you love your mother less than they love theirs?" 

"I don't think so." 

"So why are you so sure you are not like them? You are a demigod who would do anything for the ones he loves." 

Jinyoung wanted to say that they were the sons of Zeus who were much stronger and older than him but he bit his tongue and nodded. 

"This quest, why have you joined?" Hestia asked. 

"I was picked." 

"Do you not wish to go along?" 

"No, I want to go." 

"Why?" 

"Because I think this is what my mom planned for me," Jinyoung admitted and he looked down at where Hestia held his hand in hers. They were quiet for what seemed like a long time with only the crackle of the fire and the occasional hoot from hidden owls breaking through the suffocating silence. 

"Do you make any decisions for yourself?" Hestia asked finally. 

Jinyoung blinked, and looked into her eyes. His eyebrows came together as he tried to understand what she was asking. "Isn't this what I'm supposed to do? Isn't it destined?" 

"No matter how powerful the Fates are, our destiny comes from our choices." 

"My mom said something like that too." 

A fond smile appeared on the goddess' face and she turned to look into the fire. "Your mother is a very wise woman. You should pay attention to her words more, young hero," she said. "You are not the only one on this journey who has doubts, but you are much more powerful than you think you are in more ways than one. You are part of this group. It's not ten heroes and their schoolmate Bae Jinyoung." She raised her eyes to look into his, "It's  _one_  group made of  _eleven_  heroes." 

In a low voice, he asked, "You really think I can be as heroic as the others?" 

Hestia looked away from him when she answered. "I think you have to be. This quest...I can't say much, but it will really be the test of your courage and will. You will have to make the hardest decision you have ever been faced with in your life." Jinyoung opened his mouth to speak, but the goddess shook her head. "I can't tell you anything more than that. I hope you'll understand." Jinyoung closed his mouth and nodded, though a million questions filled his head. Hestia got to her feet; he followed her action and stood beside her, towering over the short goddess. "I generally am ignored by the other gods—it's not their fault, of course, but they're always busy with their own matters—but I suspect there's someone watching your group very closely, so I shouldn't spend too much time here." 

"Someone's watching us?" Jinyoung glanced around in every direction. 

"Don't worry about that. I believe they'll make themselves known to you very soon," she said. She looked him over and then gave his arm a squeeze. "Remember what I said, young one. Our destiny comes from our choices. You always have a choice." Hestia began to glow and the wind swirled around her.  

"What if I make the wrong one?" He asked her fading form. 

"Unfortunately, that's just a part of life. You'll have to live with it," she said. Her physical form had mostly disappeared when she suddenly grabbed his hand. "But I believe in you, Jinyoung. Even if you don't believe in yourself yet, know that there's someone who is rooting for you." Her words echoed as she disappeared with a flash of light and Jinyoung could still feel the softness of her hands after she had gone. He stared into the space where she once stood. The campfire had disappeared with her and it had become too cold to stand outside without a jacket. Jinyoung ran a hand through his hair. He let out a breath before he turned on his heels and returned to his tent to sleep. 

* * *

 The morning came too quickly in Daehwi's opinion. He had barely gotten to sleep when Jisung opened their shared tent and pulled him out. He felt sorry for Seongwu the most. The rest of the group had the opportunity to sleep in the van—which they took advantage of the moment their bodies touched the uncomfortable seats—but, as the only one who could actually drive, Seongwu had to stay awake. He downed several cups of coffee at the start of their journey. 

Daehwi was surprised at how quickly they had reached the oracle. The van rattled as it flew downhill toward a rather large cave. The surrounding field looked like it hadn't been touched by the harshness of the late autumn; it was a lush meadow with healthy green grass, vibrant wildflowers, and trees full of fresh fruit. As the car got closer, Daehwi could see young women in sheer silk dresses tending to the trees and surrounding flora. 

The van made what Daehwi could only describe as a hacking cough as it slowed to a stop outside the cave. When they all had exited, Seongwu reached into the back of the vehicle to grab his bag. 

"Just in case I need any medical supplies while we're there," he explained when the others had given him curious looks. The older boys dawdled around the car for a moment before they too took some things from their bags that they would need "just in case." Daehwi saw Jihoon slip an axe into a bag he put on and it gave him the idea to take a weapon. He had nowhere to put a sword or shield, so he pulled a dagger from one of the other boys' bags and slipped it into the inner pocket of his jacket. 

When they had reached the cave, a fat, old man with a shiny bald head and the ears and bottom half of a donkey sat cross-legged outside the cave and greeted them. Daehwi had never seen a satyr up close before. The satyrs were part of the reason the academy was separated by sexes, but the satyrs spent most of their time in the school's vineyard, near Dionysus' temple, or in the deep forests with the nymphs. 

"Silens, is this the home of the Oracle?" Daniel asked in a commanding voice. As the son of Dionysus, he often got a lot of respect from satyrs since they all worshipped his father. 

The elderly satyr peered up at him. "Who asks?" 

"Daniel, son of Dionysus." The demigod stood proudly, sticking his chest out and keeping his legs straight. 

The satyr glanced down at Daniel's leg. "You're injured." It wasn't a question. The group was shocked; they had all believed he was completely healed. Daehwi had heard from Jisung that due to the powers Dionysus had blessed him with—great strength and speed in battle—it took him longer to heal from his injuries, but Daehwi didn't think it would take that long. 

Daniel looked uncomfortable. "It's merely an inconvenience. I'll be fully healed soon." 

"Death is also an inconvenience." 

Minhyun stepped from behind the others and addressed the satyr, "Why? Have you had a premonition of one of us dying during this quest?" 

The satyr searched Minhyun's face for a long time. "I don't have that ability, demigod," he told him. "But I do speak from experience." 

Minhyun's face hardened. He mumbled something to Jisung that Daehwi didn't catch and then he walked into the cave alone. The others loitered outside. When Jisung and Sungwoon attempted to talk to the satyr, it hopped onto its feet and disappeared with a loud  _pop_. Daehwi hid his face behind his hands as he laughed and looked away from them down to where the nymphs were in the meadow. 

A girl with blonde hair stood beside a strawberry tree and carefully plucked its fruits before inspecting them and placing them in a basket she rested on her hip. From the way her white dress shimmered in the wind, Daehwi could tell that she wasn't a dryad, but an aura—a wind spirit. She struggled with her basket and Daehwi watched as Jihoon appeared beside her and took it from her. The nymph turned bright pink when she saw his face. Daehwi couldn't hear what the other boy was saying, but he kept making the nymph giggle until she could barely stand. Daehwi rolled his eyes and let his eyes trail elsewhere. 

Seongwu was standing with Jaehwan, Jinyoung, Woojin, and Kuanlin, showing off his scars from his past quests. It was a pastime many enjoyed at their school for some reason. Daehwi figured that it was just another way for them to brag. For students that didn't have statues in the Field of Legends, their scars were the only physical remnants that allowed them to bring up their heroic adventures.  

Seongwu pointed at three parallel scars that went from his ankle to centimetres above his knee. "This is from the Amphitrite mission. Right after we saved Kuanlin and Seonho, one of her sea monster pets tried to drag me down into the water. I think it had poison in its claws because the scratch stung for months," Daehwi heard Seongwu say as Daehwi walked up to the group. Jisung stopped right behind him and slipped his arm around Daehwi's shoulders. 

"I was supposed to go on that mission with you guys," Jisung said, "But my mother forbade me when she found out it was to rescue sons of Poseidon. She still doesn't get along with him." 

"Why?" Kuanlin asked innocently and Seongwu raised an eyebrow at Jisung. Daehwi knew the story about Demeter and Poseidon's past, but it wasn't a story for young ones, and it definitely wasn't a story for Poseidon's son. 

Jisung hesitated, and then put a hand on Kuanlin's back. "I'll tell you when you're older," he said. To change the subject, Seongwu raised his arm and displayed a nasty looking purple and brown bruise. The other boys gasped. 

"Gods, what gave you that? A manticore?" Woojin asked. 

Seongwu laughed. "I got this from fighting Jihoon." 

"Why did you fight Jihoon?" Daehwi asked. 

"He walked into my room and said 'Hey, wanna fight?'" The group laughed together and didn't notice when Daniel had joined them with an arm around the fighter himself. Jihoon looked disappointed and Daehwi noticed the nymph at the strawberry tree had disappeared. 

"Seongwu, I was just telling Jihoon about that nymph you dated," Daniel said. 

Woojin's jaw dropped. " _You_ dated a nymph?" 

"Yeah, but we had to break up pretty early in the relationship," Seongwu said with a shrug. 

"Why?" Jihoon asked. "What happened?" 

Seongwu grinned. "There was a  _slight_ age difference. I was 20 and she was 2000." He reached over to ruffle Jihoon's hair. "That's why we keep telling you guys not to focus all your attention on them. It won't work out." 

Jihoon frowned and sighed. "I guess..." He trailed off when he saw Minhyun walking toward them with a grim expression. The other boys exchanged looks with each other, but nobody said a word. 

"The goddesses are being held at the Twinned Mountains. We'll have to cross the sea to get there, but it shouldn't take too long. We should be there in a week," he said, fixing his expression so that he looked more cheerful and optimistic, but he wasn't fooling anybody. Instead of asking questions, the others nodded and started the trek back to their car. 

All of a sudden, the ground shook and shuddered. Minhyun looked at Kuanlin who looked back at him and shook his head, letting him know that it wasn't one of Poseidon's earthquakes. Then, they looked up. The sky was still clear with not a single cloud or storm spirit in sight. Before they could say a word to each other, they saw the figures in the distance. It physically hurt to look at them. The hairs on the demigods' skin stood up straight and Daehwi felt his heart in his throat as the shadowed creatures drew near. He swallowed thickly when he saw their eyes—red and black and dripping with blood. Their fur was a burnt black and filled with knots like those of stray dogs, but Daehwi knew these were no stray dogs. They had a home; the deepest, darkest pits of the Underworld where the most fearsome monsters were imprisoned was that home. Due to their size, he could tell that they were quite young, but what they lacked in experience, he knew they made up for with the energetic ferocity of youth. 

"Hellhounds," Sungwoon whispered. As if they had only been waiting for an introduction, they bounded for the group of demigods, snarling and barking as they got closer. 

"The van!" Minhyun shouted and the others understood the command immediately. They ran to the van which put them at a closer distance to the hellhounds even though every fiber of their bodies told them to run in the opposite direction. Jisung and Minhyun yanked weapons out of bags as Daniel and Seongwu kept an eye on the creatures. Jihoon pulled his axe out and somehow Jinyoung had materialized a sword and shield from thin air since Daehwi saw nowhere he could've been hiding them. Daehwi pulled his own weapon from his jacket pocket and gripped the handle of the dagger. He wasn't as good with daggers as he was with bows and arrows or swords and shields, but Jisung and Minhyun had only passed the extra weapons they had stashed to Seongwu, Daniel, Sungwoon, and Jaehwan. 

Daniel threw a spear that Jisung had pushed into his hands when the hellhounds had gotten too close and it struck one of the creatures below the eye. It whimpered and fell back, and Daniel used the distraction to silently communicate something to Seongwu who nodded and gestured to Minhyun. The three of them raised their shields and ran at the hellhounds with their swords out, each with their eyes narrowed in concentration. There were six hellhounds in total, all about the size of an adult horse, and one had already been indisposed as it tried to wretch the spear Daniel had thrown out of its face. 

Daehwi kept his back to the car for protection. He raised his dagger, but he really wished he had a sword. As if he had read Daehwi's mind, Jinyoung appeared beside him. 

"That's all you have?" He whispered, gesturing to the dagger. Daehwi nodded. "Here," he passed his sword and shield to Daehwi, "I bet you're better at using these than I am." 

"But then you'll be left with nothing," Daehwi protested. 

"I have my magic, remember?" Jinyoung said, and flashed Daehwi a smile. Daehwi still hesitated to take the weapons off of Jinyoung, but he had no choice when a hellhound slammed face first into the side of their van. He dropped the dagger on the ground and held onto Jinyoung's sword and shield. Both items were heavier than he thought they would be and he momentarily struggled to hold them up. He felt Jinyoung behind him, pressing against his back as the hellhound regained its footing and noticed the two young demigods standing next to it. 

The creature snarled at them and a foam of saliva dropped from its mouth to the ground. It was bleeding; there was a deep gash in the middle of its forehead that poured out blood. The fact that it didn't seem to be bothered by the head wound made Daehwi's courage falter. He felt Jinyoung grip his arm as the hellhound set its sight on them. 

Daehwi took a breath and tightened his hold on the leather grip of sword. He handled the shield awkwardly, but kept it as upright as he could. His legs moved of their own accord toward the creature. Without him noticing, Jinyoung was no longer behind him and the hellhound was within reach. It jumped in the air to pounce on him and Daehwi used all the strength he had in his body to raise the sword up and he slashed the creature across the face. The hound howled, but didn't fall back. Daehwi heard someone yelp behind him, but in that moment of distraction, the hellhound slammed him against the asphalt of the road. 

The hellhound stood over him and its blood spilled over his face. Daehwi sputtered as the thick, warm liquid filled his mouth, tasting strongly of metal and salt, and gripped his sword tighter. The shield was on his chest and the hellhound pressed down on it with its giant body, making it harder and harder for Daehwi to breathe. The world around him started to go fuzzy, so Daehwi raised the sword and plunged it into the side of the hellhound's neck. The action only infuriated it and, with the sword still in its neck, it bit down on the shield that separated the two of them. The metal crumpled between its impossibly sharp teeth and the hound threw the shield far away, slicing the underside of Daehwi's jaw in the process. Daehwi reached for the sword, but the hellhound nudged his arm away roughly and embedded its teeth into his shoulder. 

The pain was unlike anything he had experienced before. The initial bite made his body feel burning hot and a shock ran through his chest as his brain tried to process what was happening. His entire left arm felt like a foreign object that laid dead next to him. Daehwi cried out; his vision blurred as his blood spilled around the hellhound's mouth. He started to lose consciousness from the bite when the creature's grip on his shoulder suddenly slackened. The hellhound's giant body was pushed off of him and Jihoon stood over him with his axe. Daehwi turned his head and saw that the top half of the hellhound's head had been sliced off. Its bloody skull was cracked open, exposing the mangled remains of the creature's brain. Bile rose in his throat as his gaze moved to the chunks of flesh and brain that had skidded along the road. 

Jihoon slowly but steadily helped him stand on his feet. Daehwi tried to speak, but it came out as a choked noise. Jihoon's hand lingered on the large gash on his shoulder and Daehwi's legs weakened as his fingers came in contact with his skin and his body exploded with pain once more. He gasped and Jihoon gave him an apologetic look. 

"You can't be here," he said and he glanced at something behind Daehwi. Daehwi found himself shaking his head, but he didn't know why. He could barely stand, let alone think. Daehwi took a step forward and looked down to see his body covered in the hellhound's blood and hacked off flesh. A wave of nausea hit him. He staggered back and proceeded to vomit all over himself. 

Jihoon made a surprised noise and jumped back, but an unseen pair of arms wrapped around Daehwi and held him up. Daehwi twisted his body to see his savior and smiled when he saw Jinyoung's handsome face. Even as disgusting as Daehwi was at the moment, Jinyoung held him close and Daehwi let himself rest his weakened body against him. 

"Don't worry, Jihoon. I've got him," Jinyoung said. Jihoon nodded and returned to the battle. 

"'M okay," Daehwi mumbled as his head lulled against Jinyoung's chest. 

"No, you're not," Jinyoung said firmly. "We have to get you to safety until the others finish dealing with the hellhounds." 

"Car?" Daehwi suggested. 

They quietly scurried through the battle together with Daehwi's feet barely touching the ground as Jinyoung carried him toward the van. Daehwi felt more and more lightheaded with each passing second and his clothes were entirely soaked with blood. When they finally reached the van, his breaths were coming out haggard and it physically hurt to inhale. Jinyoung propped him up against the side of the vehicle and was reaching for the door when they heard a loud boom overhead. Daehwi and Jinyoung watched in horror as one of the hellhounds that had been fighting Jaehwan pounced on top of the van making the roof completely crumple until its weight. It chewed through the van as if it were paper when Jaehwan tried to roll under it. An arrow struck it in the face and Jaehwan delivered the killing blow by thrusting his sword into its head. 

Daehwi's world was dark around the edges and he was too disoriented from the pain to do anything other than hold onto Jinyoung. In his last moments of consciousness, he had to admit that it felt good being in the other boy's arms. He was warm and stronger than Daehwi thought he would be. His hair was disheveled with his brown locks either sticking straight up or stuck to his sweaty skin and there were cuts that were openly bleeding on his forehead, nose, and chin, but he still looked beautiful in the afternoon sunlight. Daehwi smiled as he looked at him and when Jinyoung noticed him staring, he smiled back. That was the last thing Daehwi saw before he passed out. 

* * *

Jinyoung had dragged Daehwi to the side of the road away from all the fighting, but no matter what he did, the boy wasn't waking up. Panic gripped his body as he racked his brain for anything that could possibly help in his situation. In his panicked state, he hadn't noticed that the battle had been won and the other members were running toward him. 

"Jinyoung, what happened? Why are you—" Woojin's words died on his tongue as he saw Daehwi and he flew to his side, kneeling beside him. Jinyoung had laid him down on a bed of leaves and soft dirt, and had taken off his vomit-and-blood-stained shirt, but his body had the paleness of a corpse and the trauma of the hellhound's bite had caused him to hemorrhage, so blood pooled around his body. Woojin's hands roamed over Daehwi's body and his breath quickened. He glanced up at the others. "Seongwu!" His voice was filled with desperation which mirrored the way Jinyoung felt. 

"I got it," Seongwu said, sinking down into the grass next to the body. Jaehwan edged Jinyoung out of the way as he moved next to his half-brother and brought out his collection of medical supplies. The sons of Apollo worked quickly as the others watched in silence. Jinyoung felt a pair of arms wrap around his waist and he turned to see Jisung. 

"He'll be okay," Jisung whispered to him and stroked his hair comfortingly. Jinyoung wanted to believe him, but as he watched the way Seongwu's frown deepened as he worked over Daehwi's wounds, he just couldn't. 

Seongwu let out a frustrated grunt. "He's lost so much blood. I can't—" He stopped and glanced up at Jinyoung. "Jinyoung, you can heal with magic, right?" 

Jinyoung extracted himself from Jisung's grip. "I can, but I'm not very good at it." 

"It's okay. We can combine our powers," Seongwu said and he beckoned the other boy to sit next to him. Jaehwan moved to make space for him. "As the son of a psychopomp, you're better at healing someone's spirit when they're on the brink of death than I am." 

Jinyoung's eyes widened. "Death?" 

Seongwu took his hand and gave him a reassuring smile. "Hey, look at me. He'll be okay. We can do this," he said. Jinyoung glanced down at Daehwi and then back up at Seongwu. He swallowed the saliva that had gathered in his mouth as tears filled his eyes, and nodded. Jinyoung allowed Seongwu to guide his hands and, in a soft voice, explain everything he wanted Jinyoung to do. Jinyoung listened to his every word carefully even though his heart was racing. Together, his and Seongwu's hands stopped over Daehwi's chest and he could feel the faintest heartbeat. 

Daehwi looked so small and, in that moment, Jinyoung was reminded of just how young Daehwi was. He was extraordinary, but he was still just a sixteen-year old boy. Jinyoung's throat tightened and he fought to keep his focus on the task at hand. Seongwu kept talking to him and encouraging him in a calm, low voice and his fingers tingled as he felt the combination of their magic. He kept his eyes on Daehwi's face.  _Please_ , Jinyoung prayed as his eyes trailed from slightly parted pink lips to fanned out brown eyelashes up to the dark hair that was splayed across his forehead,  _Wake up. Please, wake up. For me._  

Under his hands, he felt Daehwi's heart jump and his own did the same in his chest. The heartbeat got stronger and stronger, and Seongwu and Jinyoung exchanged looks as smiles grew on their faces. Jinyoung's hands felt like they were burning from the force of his magic, but he didn't care. 

"Daehwi," he said, his voice coming out breathless. "Daehwi! Can you hear me? Daehwi!" 

Color filled his face and Daehwi gasped as he was brought back to the world of the living. Woojin jumped to his feet and whooped, and Jinyoung saw him subtly wipe tears away. The other boys that stood were speaking, but Jinyoung couldn't hear a sound other than Daehwi's low breaths. He moved forward where he knelt and gathered Daehwi in his arms. Daehwi shivered against him. Jinyoung pulled off his sweater and wrapped it around him, cradling him in his arms. His tears started to fall when he felt Daehwi's breath against his skin because of his overwhelming joy. 

Daehwi mumbled something; Jinyoung couldn't hear it, but he could feel the vibrations against his skin. He drew back to look into Daehwi's face and his heart leapt. "What was that?" He asked. 

"I threw up," Daehwi said with a pout and all the other boys—including Jinyoung—laughed with a mixture of relief and amusement. 

"It's fine," Woojin said with a wide smile as he knelt and smoothed down Daehwi's hair. "It happens to everyone on their first quest. The simulations back at school are great, but they can't fully prepare you for the real thing." The other boys sat down in the grass around them. Jinyoung continued to hold onto Daehwi protectively as Jisung and Sungwoon cooed over him. Kuanlin passed a canteen of water to Jinyoung which he gave to Daehwi to drink. He gulped it down with haste and when it had been emptied, Kuanlin produced another canteen. Jinyoung's eyes were glued to Daehwi's throat as he drank. 

"Are you okay?" Woojin asked Jinyoung, putting a hand on his shoulder to get his attention. 

Jinyoung blinked in surprise. His face heated up when he realized how he must've looked to the others crying over Daehwi's body and then holding onto him as if he had almost lost someone he had been friends with for years. "Oh, sorry," he said. "I know I'm acting weird." He was tempted to let Daehwi go to someone the boy had a closer relationship with, but his body wouldn't allow it. 

"No, I mean, are you injured anywhere? There's a lot of blood on you too," Woojin pointed out. Jinyoung looked down at himself and he was, in fact, covered in blood. He didn't feel like he had any serious injuries, so he shook his head. 

"I think this is a mixture of a hellhound's blood and Daehwi's," he said. Jisung appeared next to him with a wet rag and sucked his teeth. 

"You're also bleeding, you dolt," Jisung whispered to him. He gave Jinyoung a smile as he wiped up the blood coming from the bruises on his face and neck. 

As Jisung cleaned Jinyoung up and he held Daehwi, Jinyoung noticed Jihoon stand up slowly. "I think someone's watching us," Jihoon said to the others. The group was on alert. From where they gathered, they saw a nymph watching them from behind a tree. She looked injured and scared. The right side of her body was covered in blood and she limped over to them, but kept her distance as to not intrude on their moment with their injured friend. 

"Seongwu," Minhyun said. The boy nodded and got to his feet. When he walked toward the nymph, she shook her head. 

"I don't need any healing, young demigod," she said. 

Seongwu glanced at Minhyun and then back at the nymph. "Are you sure? I won't do anything inappropriate. You don't have to fear me," he reassured her. 

She smiled up at him. "I do not fear you, but this is not my home and I will get better healing once I return to where I come from," she informed him. "You know a nymph is always stronger at her domain." Seongwu nodded, and as she limped closer to the rest of the group, he held her hand. “I know who has done this," she said when she had moved closer to them. "It was the leader of the children of Ares back at your school who called for the hellhounds.” 

Minhyun got to his feet. “I'm sorry, you must be mistaken. The current leader of Ares’ children at the academy is Kang Dongho.” 

“Yes, it was him. I swear it,” the nymph asserted. 

Minhyun shook his head. “That's ridiculous. He wouldn't call hellhounds. He knows we're on an important mission.” 

“Ares is the one gathering an army and he was the one who kidnapped Hera and Aphrodite. It makes sense that he’s trying to stop us from succeeding," Jihoon said. The others stayed silent. 

“Oh, come on, it's Dongho," Minhyun said, looking around at his group who all avoided his eyes. "You guys know him.” 

"He  _is_  Ares' son," Sungwoon said softly. 

"But he's not like that!" 

Jisung jumped to his feet and raised his hands. "Okay, okay, let's not argue. I don't think it's fair to place the blame on anyone without any proof,” he said to diffuse the situation. 

"What more proof do we need than the testimony of a nymph?" Jihoon asked. 

"She could be lying," Minhyun snapped. 

Jihoon scoffed at him. "Why would she lie? What does she gain from lying?" 

"I know Dongho and he's not a bad person." 

Jihoon folded his arms over his chest. "You went on one quest with him and you think you know everything—" 

"Jihoon!" Jisung said, slapping a hand over the other boy's mouth. Minhyun's eyes were wild and he looked like he was going to kill him, but that didn't stop Jihoon from yanking Jisung's hand off. 

"We could've gotten killed!" Jihoon yelled at Minhyun. "Why are you so sure it's impossible that Ares would have forced one of his children to do this?" 

Minhyun advanced on him, towering over him as he shouted right into his face. "I don't care about Ares! I know Dongho wouldn't do this, no matter what his father asked." 

"Would you deny Zeus if he asked something like this of you?" 

"Zeus is different." 

"How is he different?" 

"He's the King of the Gods! Ares isn't. Dongho wouldn't do this." 

"So the nymph is just lying?" 

"Yes," Minhyun said firmly. "She's lying." 

"She's gone," Kuanlin said and the group turned to see that the nymph had indeed disappeared. 

"Great!" Jihoon said, pushing past Minhyun. "I hope you're happy. She could've given us more information about—" Before he could finish, the ground rumbled beneath their feet. Jinyoung's heart fell to his knees and he pulled Daehwi closer. The boy had fallen asleep after finishing off the second canteen of water and was steadily breathing in Jinyoung's arms.  _Not_ _more hellhounds_ , Jinyoung silently begged.  _Not here. Not now._  

As if someone had heard his silent prayer, the hellhounds did not arrive, but unfortunately for all of them, it was someone much worse. In a flash of dark smoke, Ares, the God of War, stood in front of them in all his magnificence. Ares was tall and burly with thick, black eyebrows that matched his thick, black beard. It hurt to gaze into his eyes, for they were two angry balls of fire floating in his eye sockets. When he took a step forward, the grass around his feet burned to a crisp. Jihoon shot Minhyun a look that the other pointedly ignored.  

 "You're still here?" Ares asked in a booming voice that caused the ground to shake. "I thought my little pets would've taken care of you runts already." 

 Minhyun gave him a defiant look. "We dealt with them and we'll deal with anything else you throw at us." 

Ares threw his head back and laughed. The sound rattled Jinyoung's bones and filled him with dread, which he supposed was the appropriate reaction to hearing laughter from the war god in any situation. "Give up this fight. Go home. You foolish half-bloods do not live easy lives, but actively involving yourself in a time like this is a death sentence." 

Minhyun glared at him. "But Hera—" 

"Would normally strike you down without a second thought." 

"And Aphrodite?" Jisung said, taking a step forward. At the mention of his mother's name, Daehwi stirred in Jinyoung's arms. "We should let her die too?" 

Ares' face darkened. "No harm will come to her if I cooperate." 

Jisung and Minhyun exchanged looks, and Jisung was the one who spoke up. "Wait, is there someone..." 

"I have said too much," Ares said, cutting him off with a wave of his hand. "Listen to me: abandon this quest. Go back to that school of yours. You might not die a hero, but you won't have to suffer the fate that befalls many demigods. This is the gods' war, not yours." 

"Gods, you're pathetic," Woojin said. Everyone was shocked at his words, but none more than the god himself. 

Ares stared daggers at Woojin and the intensity of his fireball eyes caused scorch marks to appear on Woojin's clothes. "Well, aren't you a mouthy little shit? Hephaestus' son, right?" He asked. "Your daddy and I don't really get along." 

"You should be saving Aphrodite, not calling hellhounds on the people who are trying to." Woojin pointed down to where Daehwi laid. "That's her son. He almost died today because of those hellhounds. Do you know how Aphrodite would've felt if she lost her son because of some stupid plan of yours?' 

"There's a lot you don't know, demigod," Ares growled. 

"I know that if Daehwi had died, Aphrodite would've spent all of eternity regretting she ever spent even a moment loving a worthless piece of shit like you!" Woojin was physically shaking when he finished speaking and the entire back of his coat was engulfed in flames, as well as the ground around him, as Ares glared at him. Kuanlin put out the flames that threatened to come near the rest of them. Jinyoung knew that as the son of Hephaestus, Woojin had many fire-based powers, including the ability to make himself fireproof, but it didn't extend to his clothing and the fire burned them away. 

Ares' eyebrows went low and cast a dark shadow over his eyes. "Have you ever seen your intestines, boy?" the war god gritted out. "Because I have no problem pulling them out.  _T_ _hrough your throat_." 

The other boys had taken a step back, but Woojin marched right up to him with curled fists and kept his eyes on him the entire way. "Do it," he spat. 

They glared at each other for what seemed like eons and when Woojin didn't show any sign of backing down, Ares cackled wickedly. "You runts think you're so brave. You know when you die, not a single person in Olympus cares? Not your papa. Not your patrons.  _No one_." He took a step back and addressed the group. "You know what? I tried to be nice. I told you to go home. But now, I'd much rather see you guys die a painful death." He flashed them a grin and, with that, the God of War disappeared. 

In his place stood a nine metre tall nine-headed Hydra. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked the chapter. I don't know when I'm going to update next. This chapter and the next two were the ones I was really unhappy with when I read them over because a lot of important things happen that really get the story going and I don't want to half-ass it, but when I wrote them initially, I don't think I realized just how important they were. It's not easy writing a story based on Greek Mythology. I have no idea how Homer and Hesiod did it and, after writing several chapters of a Greek Mythology/demigod AU set in modern times, I'm partially convinced that Rick Riordan is a witch. It's hard. Prophecies and foreshadowing and shit. 
> 
> Anyways, leave comments, questions, and constructive criticism here or on twitter (@kangdanielvevo) or on curiouscat (curiouscat.me/jinkies). Thanks for reading!


	8. Chapter 8

A small clay cup was thrust in front of Daehwi's face. He stared cross-eyed at it, barely comprehending what was happening. There was a commotion around him; the sounds of a struggle cut through his clouded consciousness. He was suddenly aware that he was being pushed. His legs moved to prevent him from falling face first into the asphalt. The cup had disappeared and was replaced by a canteen that was held uncomfortably close to his face. His teeth collided with the metal rim of the open canteen due to the sloppy handling of the person holding it. Daehwi suspected it was also the person guilty of pushing him forward. Daehwi winced and pulled back.

"Woojin! The cave!" Minhyun shouted and Daehwi turned to confirm that it was Woojin pushing him.

 

"What's happening?" Daehwi's words came out a slurred mess.

 

"Hydra," Woojin answered. Daehwi froze and stared past him at where the other members of their quest where fighting a giant beast with nine serpent-like heads. He had never seen a Hydra before, not even during simulations. They were considered too dangerous even in simulation form, so audiences weren't allowed to sit in when the older members battled them for class. Seeing one in real life was like seeing a dinosaur; he was fascinated but terrified.

 

The image of his friends battling the enormous creature receded into the distance as Daehwi and Woojin made their way to the oracle's cave. The entrance of the cave was deserted; no matter what direction he looked, Daehwi couldn't see a single satyr or nymph. Remnants of their destroyed car were littered around the area. Inside the cave was as empty as the outside, but it was much darker, especially with the boulders that partially obscured the view of outside and blocked most of the light from entering. There were some trees around and it felt much bigger on the inside than it looked. In the distance, Daehwi could see a faint flicker of light that he assumed led to the house deep within where the oracle lived, but he didn't know for sure. He had never visited or seen an oracle. As their adventure continued, Daehwi realized there were many things he had never seen in person and had only read about in books. He suddenly felt woefully unprepared and inexperienced.

 

Woojin snapped him out of his musings—literally. The other boy snapped his fingers in front of Daehwi's face several times before Daehwi had gotten annoyed and pushed his hand away.

 

"Are you in pain?" Woojin asked, his face etched with concern. He tenderly cupped Daehwi's face and looked for any signs of discomfort, but Daehwi shook him away. The battled waged on outside and Daehwi itched to do something— _anything_ —useful, instead of being hidden away like some invalid.

 

"I'm fine. I'm strong enough to fight," he said and tried to push past Woojin, but Woojin was an immoveable boulder blocking his exit.

 

Woojin grabbed Daehwi's wrist. "Absolutely not! You'll stay here until we're done." A thousand protests died on Daehwi's tongue when he looked into Woojin's face. The face he knew that often had hints of playfulness even in the tensest situations was now lined with worry and fear. The boy looked like he had aged a decade. Though Daehwi had a few aches here and there, he felt okay, and he wondered just how close he had been to Death's door.

 

Daehwi took a step back and nodded. "Fine. I'll stay here."

 

Woojin's eyes widened in shock. "Really?" Daehwi would've laughed if they had been in any other situation. He knew he had a tendency to be quite stubborn, but Woojin's reaction made it seem like it was absolutely unheard of for him to ever concede.

 

"Yeah, whatever," Daehwi mumbled. He didn't like it, but he didn't want his first ever quest to be his last and maybe, if he were to be honest, he wasn't as fine as he had claimed. Woojin blinked and stared at him for several moments before they were both startled by a loud crash coming from outside. Woojin's hands glowed with fire automatically which lit up the surrounding area. Daehwi could see the trees in the cave more clearly and could even see several large stones that were dangerously balanced on top of each other near them. Just one false move and the whole stack looked like it could collapse at any moment.

 

"I'll be back!" Woojin shouted over his shoulder at Daehwi as he ran out of the cave. He had already conjured up a few fireballs that he had thrown in the direction of whatever was going on outside. From Daehwi's vantage point, he couldn't see much, but with no weapon he had no interest in letting his curiosity get the better of him. Without the glow of Woojin's magical fire, the cave was once again cast into darkness and the air was chilled as night fell. Daehwi moved away from the stacked stones that teetered precariously atop each other and sat in a relatively safe corner. He brought his knees up and curled his arms around them. Resting his head on his knees, Daehwi listened for his friends. There seemed to be no end to their battle with the Hydra. There had been quests where people didn't make it back home after dealing with hellhounds, but a Hydra attack immediately afterwards was like signing a death warrant.

 

Alone in the dark with just his thoughts to keep him company, Daehwi allowed his fear to completely overtake him, even if it were only for a moment. The sensation washed over him like the ocean's waves and he let out a shuddery breath at the sudden realization that  _he could've died_. He could still die. If it wasn't the hellhounds, it could be the Hydra, or some other beast they could face on their journey. It could be a god or even some malevolent demigod. He had joined the academy reluctantly because of his mother, but over time, he had been sucked into the idea of being a hero and had been excited to join his first quest. His harsh breaths were the only sounds Daehwi heard. Even the area outside seemed to have gone quiet. His mortality stared him in the face and for the first time in a long time, Daehwi felt so small and young.  _Too young._ He had an entire life to live, but he wondered if he would ever get the chance.

 

A scream from outside echoed through the cave and he scurried to his feet. He made a move for the entrance when something hard collided with him and knocked him to the ground. There was an explosion of pain and he let out a choked shout as his body scraped against the grainy floor of the cave. He tried to stand but he was pushed down with even more force than before.

 

There was a person on top of him and Daehwi glanced up just in time to see a shiny golden shield go up. In the reflection of the shield's untarnished interior, he could see Minhyun's battered and bleeding face, and his own shocked expression. The ground shook around them as something approached and Daehwi's heart sank to his feet; he knew exactly what was coming. Minhyun wrapped his shield-less arm around Daehwi and led him backwards deeper into the cave. The older boy eyed the stones that surrounded them. Daehwi knew the Hydra could easily crush them to death with its steps alone.

 

He didn't have to see the Hydra to know when it had joined their little party in the cave. He had been watching Minhyun's face because the latter had blocked him from seeing over the shield, but the stench let him know when the creature had entered. The scent of the monster was so foul that it made him feel lightheaded. It was like a mixture of wet garbage, bile, and a farm full of animals on the hottest day of the summer. Daehwi's stomach turned and he twisted to bury his nose in Minhyun's armpit. The way the two demigods had been positioned, there was no way Daehwi could easily cover his face with his own hands and, even though Minhyun had been sweating, it was still a better smell than the one coming from the Hydra.

 

When they were far back enough to rest their backs against one of the trees in the cave, Minhyun let Daehwi go to unsheathe his sword. Daehwi took the opportunity to peek over the side of the shield at the Hydra and he froze at the sight. The creature was massive up close, way bigger than he could have ever imagined. It had legs the size of thick tree trunks and a stomach that swelled as if it had just eaten. Blood followed the beast like a deadly trail and Daehwi hoped it wasn't the blood of any of his friends. Earlier the Hydra had nine thick heads that slithered around each other in a dizzying fashion, but two of the heads had been cut at the neck and the open wound had been cauterized. Daehwi was surprised. Firsts didn't learn much about Hydras in class, but he knew once a head had been cut off, it would grow back two more which was why they were so difficult to kill.

 

Minhyun gripped his sword ready to attack if need be. He addressed Daehwi in a low voice while keeping his eyes on the creature. "Do you have any way to make fire?"

 

"I don't. Sorry," Daehwi said, feeling incredibly useless without a weapon. He was a demigod, not some damsel in distress. Even if he wasn't in the best condition, he still felt like he should have a weapon on him at all times. A sudden thought entered his mind. He  _did_ have a weapon he could use. He pushed past Minhyun's shield before the older boy could stop him and made a loud noise to get the Hydra's attention. All seven heads turned to him immediately and Daehwi fought the urge to run back and hide.

 

Daehwi could hear Minhyun scrambling behind him. "What are you—"

 

"Hydra! B-be gone from h-here!" Daehwi tried to put as much power as he could into his persuasion, but his voice shook violently like leaves in a storm. The seven heads stared at him like they couldn't believe he had the audacity. Daehwi's heart pounded in his ears which took away all his focus and he didn't notice when one of the heads revved back and spit a thick dark liquid at him. Daehwi couldn't react when he saw the projectile flying toward him, but thankfully Minhyun did.

 

Once again, Daehwi was pushed down as Minhyun brought the shield up to protect himself and Daehwi, but he had done so awkwardly, so the Hydra's venom hit the edge of the shield and splashed onto Minhyun's face and clothes. It bit through his skin and angry-looking boils popped up where the venom had touched. He cried out in pain and his legs buckled under him, but he made sure to keep Daehwi covered by the shield.

 

" _Are you insane_?" Minhyun hissed through gritted teeth.

 

"Maybe if we both used our—"

 

Minhyun whipped his head and looked at him with eyes that bulged with anger. Daehwi shrunk back. "This isn't some monitored simulation at school. Creatures of Tartarus aren't easily controlled. If you don't have a weapon, you  _shut up_  and stay behind the ones that  _do_." Dark pus oozed from the boils on his face and slid down his pale neck. Daehwi swallowed hard and nodded.

 

The Hydra moved closer, shaking the entire cave, and shot more venom at them which clanged every time it hit the shield. After one particularly large hit, the shield began to dissolve and left a tiny hole. Minhyun stared at it dumbfounded.

 

"This shield was made by Athena herself. It's supposed to be completely impenetrable," he said. He eyed the beast. "This isn't a regular Hydra. Ares has strengthened it somehow. He wants us to die here."

 

"What do we do?" Daehwi asked. He didn't mean to cling onto Minhyun, but he noticed his fingers were white as he gripped the older boy's forearm. Minhyun let his eyes flicker away from the advancing Hydra and regarded Daehwi with a much softer expression. Even without him saying a word, Daehwi could feel the familiar buzzing sensation. Instantly, he felt more at ease. His shoulders relaxed and drooped low. It was as if all thoughts of their impending doom had fleeted from his mind.

 

"Daehwi, do you know why demigods are chosen to go on dangerous quests and are able to accomplish heroic feats?" Minhyun's tone was casual as if there wasn't a giant monster spitting acidic venom at them that was eroding the shield that protected them.  _Is this what he does?_ Daehwi wondered.  _Is this how his quests are so successful? He stops people from panicking in even the most dangerous and bleak situations. Is that the secret to keeping everyone alive?_  Daehwi's fear was like a stone in his shoe, impossible to ignore, but he put his trust in Minhyun. He had to. 

 

Daehwi shook his head to answer Minhyun's question. "Why?"

 

Minhyun broke out into a wide grin. "Because demigods are so hard to kill." The Hydra loomed over them, but Minhyun didn't seem the least bit bothered. He threw the shield at the unbalanced stack of stones. The shield broke apart on impact, but it was enough to accomplish what he wanted. The stones toppled over and fell on the Hydra. The monster was too big to be crushed, but the move provided enough of a distraction and Minhyun grabbed Daehwi's arm. The Hydra was startled and shot venom at the stones as Minhyun and Daehwi ran toward the entrance of the cave.

 

They were close. They were so very close that Daehwi could already feel the cool night air on his adrenaline-heated skin when he felt something tug his arm back violently. Daehwi expected to see that the Hydra had gotten him, but the reality was much worse. Minhyun was the one who grabbed his arm but let go when the Hydra had wrapped one of its heads around his middle. It raised him up several metres into the air so that he was eye-level with the monster's other heads. He struggled in its grasp but to no avail. Daehwi was afraid that if Minhyun struggled too much, he would fall and Daehwi doubted he would survive without a Healer around. Minhyun seemed to have the same idea because he stopped moving suddenly. All either of them could do was watch helplessly as the Hydra opened one of its mouths to attack.

 

* * *

 

Jinyoung nearly fainted at the scene that greeted him when he entered the cave. He lost the others somewhere in the trees outside and had remembered seeing Daehwi enter the cave, but couldn't recall ever seeing him leave. The last thing he expected to see, however, was Minhyun about to have his face melted off while Daehwi stood frozen. He rushed over and grabbed Daehwi's hand which made the other boy jump. Daehwi didn't say a word, but pointed a shaky finger up at Minhyun's situation with the Hydra. Minhyun's head jerked to the side when the Hydra shot venom dead-center, but the thick, black liquid slid down his back instead and he cried out in pain. Red and purple boils popped up beneath burned fabric and Jinyoung gasped as they began to ooze with pus.

 

"Minhyun!" Jinyoung shouted. "What should I do?" Minhyun was breathless from the torture and sweat poured from his face. He gasped something out that they couldn't hear. The Hydra spat at him and once again he stopped it from hitting his face, but it fully hit the side of his neck. Minhyun swore loudly, which the duo on the ground could definitely hear.

 

Minhyun wriggled and looked down where Jinyoung and Daehwi stood. "Listen to me! Go get help from the others. I'll be fine! Just don't do anything stupid!" The Hydra opened one of its numerous mouths again, so Jinyoung proceeded to do something stupid.

 

Without thinking, he threw the lone sword he had into the air and focused all of his magic to guide it. It hovered in the air above the Hydra—specifically above the neck of the head that wrapped around Minhyun. Jinyoung silently prayed to Hecate for his crazy plan to work, and then brought the sword down on the neck. It sliced through cleanly and the other six heads let out a choked noise as the seventh head fell with Minhyun. 

 

Jinyoung tugged Daehwi's hand. "Do you trust me?" he asked. Daehwi looked dazed, but nodded. "Okay, good. Catch him!"

 

Daehwi jerked his head back. "What?"

 

"Now!"

 

Daehwi surged forward with his arms out and eyes on Minhyun's falling body. Jinyoung let out a great shout as he pushed out a wave of magic that washed over Minhyun. He had only done the spell once in his life and it was on something half of Minhyun's size, so he put all his hopes and prayers on it working. Gravity pulled Minhyun to the ground faster than any of them expected and they braced themselves, anticipated the worse when Minhyun landed in Daehwi's arms.

 

It was like a pillow falling on top of a mattress.

 

Both Minhyun and Daehwi looked shocked at what had happened and whipped their heads in Jinyoung's direction. "What did you do?" Minhyun asked.

 

"I made you lighter. Well, I made you feel lighter. You're still the same weight you've always been," Jinyoung said. He walked over to help Daehwi place Minhyun gently on the ground. The older boy thanked them, but his expression darkened when he looked up at the Hydra that still stood. It had gotten over the shock of losing one of its heads and, in true Hydra fashion, had grown back two. Eight heads stared at them, looking angrier than ever.

 

"What do we do about that?' Daehwi asked.

 

"We run," Minhyun said simply. He winced in pain as more boils on his body burst. 

 

Daehwi looked at him incredulously. "We'll never outrun it."

 

Jinyoung frowned. "We can't run," he said. "We're demigods. We have to fight."

 

"Jinyoung, I can't fight in this condition," said Minhyun, putting an arm around his shoulder, but Jinyoung flung it off.

 

"Then I will!"

 

Minhyun tried to grab him. "Don't—"

 

Jinyoung marched up to the monster. In his peripheral, he could see the silvery moon high in the sky outside the cave. He pushed thoughts of weakness out of his mind. His body was starting to ache from exertion and he knew using magic at night would only make it worse, but there was no other choice. They were demigods.  _Heroes_. Heroes didn't run.

 

The eight heads eyed him curiously as he brought his hands up. His palms were out and flat, and he took a moment to calm himself, letting all other thoughts fade away. He could hear Minhyun shouting behind him, but his voice melted away with the rest of the world as Jinyoung focused. He had learned a lot of magic from his mother; there were some he had practiced a million times and some he had never done even once, but there was a first time for everything. His eyes narrowed on the center of the monster's chest. The eight heads began to move in a hypnotic fashion, but he easily ignored them.  _The chest_ , he told himself.  _Focus on the chest. Start from there and then spread out. You can do it. You can do it!_

 

A white beam of light flowed from his hands straight to the Hydra's chest. It grew bigger and bigger until it enveloped the entire creature. In the corner of his eye, Jinyoung saw Minhyun and Daehwi cover their eyes, but he had to keep his own on the light. Even if it blinded him, he had to focus on it. It was the only way the spell could work. The monster let out a terrible screech as Jinyoung hit it with so much power that he was physically shaking. The magic started to burn and he felt his hands sting painfully. Jinyoung let out a shout as he pushed out one last bout of energy and then fell to his knees with his head down.

 

A gentle wind entered the cave and swirled around him, cooling down his overheated body. Jinyoung shuddered and looked down at his palms which were full of blisters. The wind concentrated on his hands. There was an icy sensation and right before his eyes the blisters began to close and disappear. Time seemed to slow down as six identical feet appeared in front of him. They were silver, like the glow of the moon, and non-corporeal. He could easily see the ground through them. He knew it was just an illusion of the triplicate form goddesses, and they weren't really standing with him in that cave. There was also the very real possibility that he had conjured the image up himself to have Hecate there when he really wanted her. One of the images hands came down to cup to his face, but he didn't dare look up at her for fear that she would fade once he started thinking straight.

 

"Jinyoung!" Daehwi's voice cut through like a blade and the image of his mother disappeared. Daehwi and Minhyun appeared at his side and kneeled next to him.

 

"Are you okay?" Minhyun asked as he rubbed his back.

 

"Nighttime magic…" Jinyoung stopped to gasp as a wave of pain shocked his system. "It takes a lot out of me. My powers are much weaker, so doing spells as intense as those…" Jinyoung doubled over clutching his stomach. "I think I'm going to be sick."

 

Daehwi threw his arms around him and hugged him tight. "Thank you, thank you, thank you," he murmured into Jinyoung's neck and Jinyoung felt his entire body start to heat up from the touch. Daehwi pulled back. "You're amazing. You're simply amazing."

 

Another pair of feet entered the cave; the sound bounced off the walls and everyone's heads snapped up to see Jihoon and Woojin.

 

The two boys skidded to a halt and stared past them with slack jaws. "Is that the Hydra?" Jihoon asked. Jinyoung finally took the opportunity to look at his handiwork. The Hydra stood in all its magnificence, motionless and completely encased in immovable stone. It was a spell his mother had taught him a long time ago, but he had never practiced it because he found it too cruel. The Hydra was still alive under the stone yet it just looked like a horrifyingly realistic statue. It wouldn't ever be freed unless someone reversed the spell. Guilt coursed through him the longer he stared at it, so he looked away. His mother was right; he was too tenderhearted.

 

Jihoon and Woojin ran over them. Like machines they brought out healing supplies from the bags they were carrying with them. There were two large canteens, one red and one brown. Woojin took the one in the red and produced three cups from his bag. He poured a watery golden liquid into the cups and handed them to the others to drink. Jinyoung had never drank nectar before, but he knew it was like ambrosia and had the power to heal internally much better than ambrosia did. He took an experimental sip. The taste that filled his mouth was indescribable. The liquid was warm and filled his head with images of chocolate, honey, and fresh-baked bread. With each sip, Jinyoung was reminded of every single happy moment in his life and he guzzled it down inelegantly. The euphoric sensation it left him with was addicting; his body felt loose and weightless. He felt like a balloon full of hot air ready to fly up into the rocky ceiling. Jinyoung barely noticed Jihoon pressing an ambrosia-soaked rag against his palms. Through lidded eyes, Jinyoung looked over at Minhyun who laid on his stomach as Woojin got rid of his boils with the ambrosia.

 

"Where are the others?" Minhyun murmured with his eyes shut.

 

Jihoon and Woojin glanced at each other. "Uh, maybe we should save that for tomorrow," Woojin said.

 

"Why? Did something happen?" Minhyun yawned and a lazy smile appeared on his face. 

 

Woojin sighed. "They were taken. By Circe."

 

Minhyun's eyes flew open and he sat straight up suddenly alert. "What? When?"

 

"When you lured the Hydra here, Circe came and the others started fighting her. Jihoon and I were looking for Jinyoung, so we weren't there when she used her magic to carry them off, but when we tried to follow her trail, she sent Stymphalian birds to attack us. We found out where her lair is, but the two of us couldn't battle her and the birds alone," Woojin told him.

 

Minhyun rubbed a hand over his face and groaned. "We're in no condition to fight. Ares is trying to wear us down by throwing everything he can at us. We have to wait until tomorrow morning when we've rested up a bit."

 

"But she'll be much stronger in the morning!" Jinyoung protested. "She's a sorceress, so she gets her magic from Helios. The morning is when she's the strongest."

 

"There's nothing we can do. Besides," Minhyun smiled and rubbed Jinyoung's back, "We have our own powerful sorcerer who'll be much stronger in the morning." Jinyoung ducked his head at Minhyun's compliment. He didn't think  _powerful_ was the right word to describe him. In that moment as he laid under the shadow of the Hydra, Jinyoung felt  _lucky_  more than anything else.

 

* * *

 

Since their supplies had been destroyed by the hellhounds and the Hydra, Woojin and Jihoon volunteered to look for a town where they could grab a few things while the rest of them stayed behind in the cave. Daehwi laid on the cave's cold and hard floor next to Jinyoung and stared up at the fossilized Hydra. Minhyun was off to the side away from them where he had fallen asleep after taking more nectar. The Hydra's poison had entered his bloodstream and it was only by the gifts that came with being the son of the King of the Gods that he had survived, but expelling the venom took a lot out of him. His rhythmic breaths were enough to lull Daehwi to sleep. When he was about to close his eyes, he heard a soft " _Are you asleep?_ "

 

Daehwi hummed and turned to Jinyoung. "Not anymore," he whispered back in a teasing tone.

 

Jinyoung's face fell. "Oh, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to wake you up."

 

"No, no, you didn't," Daehwi said as he sat up and stretched. A yawn escaped his lips before he could hide it from Jinyoung, so the other boy gave him an apologetic look. "Don't worry about it. What's up?"

 

Jinyoung sat up and crossed his legs in front of him. He threw a glance in Minhyun's direction before he leaned in close to Daehwi. "I've just…" He paused and hazarded another look at their sleeping leader. "I've been spending too much time in my head about this whole quest thing."

 

"Why? Are you still freaking out?" Daehwi asked. He took Jinyoung's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.

 

"No, I like being on this quest, I do," Jinyoung said earnestly. "I'm just still trying to figure out why Minhyun chose me in the first place."

 

"You're amazing at magic. I mean, look at the Hydra. None of us could do that."

 

"Yeah, but," Jinyoung scratched the underside of his chin, "Minhyun wouldn't have known that I had that ability. I've never really done magic in front of anyone except my mother."

 

Daehwi's mouth opened to speak. He knew he could've told him the truth in that moment since they were all alone in the cave other than the sleeping Minhyun who already knew. He took Jinyoung's hand and interlocked their fingers. "Sometimes people notice how hard you're working even if you don't think they do." It was the truth, even if it wasn't the whole truth.

 

Jinyoung stared at their hands for a long time before he suddenly asked, "Do you want some chocolate?"

 

Daehwi was taken aback. "What?" 

 

Jinyoung let go of his hand to rifle through the pockets of his coat. "I found it in my bag earlier and—ah, here we go!" He pulled out a barely eaten chocolate bar from his pocket. Daehwi recognized the wrapper immediately since it was one he had seen many times before. "Jihoon gave it to me."

 

"Woojin loves these. He always has a stash of them in the dorm," Daehwi said as Jinyoung handed him the bar of chocolate. Daehwi broke it in half and handed the rest to Jinyoung. He took a bite; the chocolate was rich and dark with a slight bitterness mixed with its natural sweetness. Daehwi let out a satisfied moan. "It's so good."

 

"Really?" Jinyoung asked as he put the rest in his pocket.

 

Daehwi looked at him. "Why? You don't like it?"

 

Jinyoung shook his head. "Too bitter."

 

"But that's what makes it good! It's rich in flavor."

 

Jinyoung laughed. "We're so different."

 

"That's why we get along so well," Daehwi said through a mouthful of chocolate. "People who are different get along better." Jinyoung nodded and mumbled something that Daehwi missed. He was so focused on his chocolate that it wasn't until he had finished the entire thing that he noticed Jinyoung had been staring at him. "What? Do I have something on my face?" Daehwi wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and checked for any chocolate residue.

 

"You missed it. It's right…" Jinyoung trailed off as he reached over and wiped the side of Daehwi's bottom lip with his thumb. It was slow and gentle, and Daehwi's heartbeat stuttered. Without thinking, he grabbed Jinyoung's hand and their eyes met. Jinyoung always looked at him in a way that made him feel exposed. Jinyoung was the first one to react. He pulled back and rubbed the back of his neck. "Sorry. I didn't mean to…"

 

"No, no, it's okay," Daehwi said. "Thank you. It would've been really embarrassing if I walked around with chocolate on my lips."

 

"Yeah, no problem," Jinyoung said, looking anywhere but at him. Jinyoung cleared his throat. "So, uh, you know, while I was trying to figure out why Minhyun chose me for this quest, I did come up with a possible explanation."

 

Daehwi knew he was just trying to move on from what had just happened between them and he had to admit that he did too. There was a fluttery feeling deep in his stomach that he was starting to understand, but in the middle of a dangerous quest, it was the last thing he wanted to deal with. "Oh yeah?"

 

Jinyoung nodded. "I thought maybe my mom came to him personally." He laughed a little to himself. "It's kind of like having your mom ask the cool kids if you can play with them."

 

"I don't think that's what happened," Daehwi said. "The gods barely speak to us anymore. Even when my mom told me to—" He stopped, realizing that he had almost told Jinyoung the truth about why Minhyun had chosen him.

 

Jinyoung looked at him quizzically. "Your mom told you what?"

 

Daehwi racked his brain to come up with an answer, but thankfully he was saved from doing so by a loud screech outside the cave. It was unmistakably the screech of tires. Daehwi and Jinyoung exchanged looks and raced outside. Outside the cave was a white minibus. Smoke rose up from the tires and the front and the sides were slightly banged up as if there had been a few accidental collisions along the way, but not enough to stop the vehicle. Both Jinyoung and Daehwi were shocked to see Jihoon emerge from the driver's seat.

 

"What is that?" Daehwi asked.

 

Jihoon gave him a bright, wide smile and gestured at the minibus beside him. "I got us a bus!"

 

"You can drive?" Daehwi asked, his eyes wide with surprise. Woojin staggered out of the bus in a daze and collapsed onto his knees on the ground.

 

"Not at all," he said, covering his head with his arms. " _We nearly died_."

 

Jihoon scowled. "You're so dramatic. You didn't have to scream so much as we were coming over here."

 

"You drive like a madman!"

 

"We're here, aren't we? I think I drive well enough then." Jihoon motioned for the others to help him take out some boxes from inside the bus. One by one, they hauled a few of the heavy boxes from the bus to the interior of the cave, leaving several behind in the vehicle. By the time Woojin had dropped the last box on the floor, Minhyun had woken up.

 

"Oh, you're back already?" he said, getting to his feet and walking over. He surveyed the items as he helped pull them out of the boxes. "Where did you get all these things?" 

 

From the boxes, the group pulled out cases of food, a cooler full of beverages, new sleeping bags, four large tents, sleeping pads, heated down jackets, boots of various sizes, a collection of scarves and hats, battery powered lanterns, and even a portable gas grill and a camping stove.

 

Jihoon pointedly didn't answer Minhyun or even look in his direction. When silence lulled for a little too long, Woojin exchanged looks with Daehwi and Jinyoung before he cleared his throat. "There was a town not too far from here," Woojin said and he began organizing all the things they had pulled from the boxes.

 

"And you got all this? How much did it all cost?" Daehwi asked. He slapped Woojin's hand when the latter tried to pry open a box of sandwiches. 

 

"Oh," Jihoon said with a smirk, "We didn't have to pay for it. The people at the stores were very nice. We told them our situation and they offered this stuff for free."

 

Jinyoung looked over at him. "Really?"

 

"I mean, it took a bit of convincing, but I can be quite  _persuasive_ , right, Daehwi?" Jihoon said and winked in Daehwi's direction. Jinyoung looked confused, which was expected, but Daehwi spotted small grins from both Woojin and Minhyun at Jihoon's comment.

 

Daehwi opened his mouth to respond, but was surprised when a sudden yawn erupted from him. He slapped a hand over his mouth and apologized. "I guess all that box moving made me more tired than I already was," he said with a sheepish giggle.

 

Minhyun eyed him for a moment and then looked over at the rest of them. "I know we're all probably very hungry," he said, his eyes falling on Woojin and Jihoon who had already pried open a carton of sandwiches and were wolfing them down with glee. "But maybe we should just have a light meal and rest up right away. We should head out the moment the sun comes up, so we won't delay our quest too much." He reached into the carton of sandwiches and grabbed two which he immediately gave to Jinyoung and Daehwi.

 

Daehwi shook his head. "No thank you. I'm not hungry."

 

"You will eat. You need all the strength you can get. Don't forget that you nearly died earlier," Minhyun said, shoving the sandwich into his hands. As the others sat in a circle and ate, Minhyun busied himself by setting up sleeping bags and tents to keep the cold out as they slept. Soon after, Woojin had joined him in setting up the bedding and arranging the rest of their supplies into a neat pile in the corner.

 

Daehwi's eyes felt heavier and heavier as he struggled to finish his food. He felt the sandwich leave his hands and looked up through heavy lids to see Jinyoung standing before him. 

 

"You should sleep," Jinyoung said, helping him to his feet. Daehwi allowed himself to be tugged onto his feet and bit back a smile when Jinyoung wrapped an arm around his shoulders.

 

"No, I'm—"

 

"Woojin, Daehwi doesn't want to go to sleep!" Jinyoung called over his shoulder. Woojin's head snapped up from where he was smoothing out the wrinkles on one of the sleeping bags with Minhyun.

 

Daehwi playfully slapped Jinyoung on the chest. "Tattletale."

 

The other boy laughed. "I prefer the term 'concerned friend'," he replied. They walked together to where Woojin and Minhyun had arranged the tents. Three of the four tents had been set up; while all three of the tents had inflatable sleeping pads, pillows, a thermos, a lantern, earplugs, and eye masks, two of the tents had double-wide sleeping bags instead of single-person sleeping bags.

 

Jinyoung and Daehwi stopped in their tracks when they saw the arrangement. "We have to share sleeping bags?" Daehwi asked. "Isn't that a bit too intimate?"

 

"Jinyoung and I can share and you and Woojin can share if that's okay," Minhyun said as he walked over to him. "There are nearly enough single sleeping bags for our entire group of eleven, but we're saving them just in case Ares decides to leave us a little present in the morning and some stuff gets destroyed again."

 

Daehwi nodded and slipped from under Jinyoung's arms to enter the tent. "And Jihoon sleeps alone?" he asked.

 

"He tosses and turns too much when he's sleeping. The last time we shared a tent, he accidentally kicked me in the head," Woojin said, walking over to the tent Daehwi had entered.

 

"It wasn't an accident!" Jihoon said with his mouth full which made a chunk of food fall onto the floor. The others, including Minhyun, laughed out loud as Jihoon's face flooded red and he gathered the food into his hands.

 

Daehwi settled into his sleeping bag and positioned his pillow under his head. He stared up at the ceiling as Woojin zipped their tent and entered the sleeping bag with him. The other boy twisted and turned until he was comfortably in his part of the double-wide and then turned his head toward Daehwi.

 

"Hey," Woojin whispered. "You okay?"

 

Daehwi kept his gaze upwards and nodded. "You don't have to worry about me so much."

 

Woojin chuckled. "Yes, I do." He let out a loud yawn. "This is your first quest and it's good to have someone looking out for you. I need to make sure you get back home when this is all over…"

 

_When this is all over_. Daehwi wondered if he would even be the same person when they had fulfilled their quest. At the academy, there were students who went out on quests and survived, but vowed never to go on another quest again. It changed them; it changed something inside them, and as Daehwi thought about how he could've seriously died from the hellhound attack, he wondered if he had changed too already. He had never put too much thought in the possibility of dying young. He wasn't one of those fame-hungry demigods who found it glorious to die in battle, but he thought he was young enough, healthy enough, and prepared enough to take on anything that was thrown at him. 

 

Daehwi felt Woojin's warm breath ghost over the side of his cheek and he glanced over to see that he had fallen fast asleep. "Goodnight, Woojin," he said and the other boy stirred in his sleep as if to respond. Daehwi let his heavy eyelids slide closed and could hear as the low murmurs of Jinyoung and Minhyun talking in the tent next to theirs mingled with the calming sounds of nature outside the cave. 

He was asleep within minutes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leave comments, questions, and constructive criticism here, on twitter (@kangdanielvevo), or on curiouscat (curiouscat.me/jinkies). Thanks for reading!


End file.
